


Forget Me Not

by Dollmasterlynne



Category: Takumi-kun Series
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-12
Updated: 2018-03-14
Packaged: 2019-03-30 05:31:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 26,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13943808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dollmasterlynne/pseuds/Dollmasterlynne
Summary: Daisuke has been hiding a secret love for a long time. He decides on confessing upon Mao's return from New York to Japan for the Christmas holidays. Unfortunate things happen and Daisuke gets into a car accident that locks away his memories. Will Mao be able to unlock the memories even with the appearance of Daisuke's supposed fiancee?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Daichan or Mao. They are their own persons. I do own the bitch in this story though XD

It was a rather relaxing day for Daisuke as he prepared his breakfast of toast and eggs. During the winter season when he's feeling lazy he usually prefers to eat western-style. You see, cooking may be something he's good at but without someone to cook for he just feels too lazy to even care.

He glanced at the white "I Love Paris" designed mug that his friend Kyousuke or Mao, as he prefers to call him, bought for him during the latter's trip to a trade fair in Hokkaido last year. Mao buys novelty items every now and then when he happens to go around the country.

Daisuke sighed as he took a sip of coffee from the mug. With Mao staying alone in New York to study Interior Designing, he's quite sure the younger man's eating habits has turned for the worse.

"He probably always eats fastfood nowadays. It might make him fatter but it's still unhealthy." Although the idea of an obese Mao cracks Daisuke up. "He eats desserts even during breakfast, for god's sake..."

Daisuke sighed forlornly with the thoughts of his beautiful Mao.

How long has it been since he last saw him? 3 months and 20 days to be exact. If today were like the other days, Daisuke would probably curl up in bed hugging a pillow and daydreaming about Mao~ but today is different. Mao sent him an email last night telling him that he would be skyping him at exactly 11am today.

The thought of seeing his friend's face sent shivers down his spine.

It isn't unusual though, as he has been in love with Mao for years already. Well, secretly inlove that is because unfortunately, he is a giant coward who is afraid of breaking his friendship with the most beautiful man on earth.

The sound of the popping toast broke Daisuke out of his thoughts and he gathered his breakfast to go to the living area of his apartment.

It's already 9am in the morning. He has the remaining 2 hours to eat then get ready for his skype date.

The sound of giggling made Daisuke snap towards his laptop. He was in the middle of fixing his hair when Mao finally logged in that he didn't notice the signal. With a slightly red face, he beamed and winked at the boy on the other side of the video call.

"Konnichiwa Mao! How long have you been enjoying my free show?" Daisuke tried to tease to get rid of his nerves.

"I was not!" Mao indignantly replied. "It was your fault for not paying attention to my signal. Anyway, why are you so dressed up? Do you have a date after this?"

Mao's voice was laden with pure curiosity that it stabbed Daisuke's heart a bit.

Why didn't he consider thinking that I dressed up for him? He thought.

"Nothing special... Just feeling a little fancy."

"Ahhh..." Mao nodded then smiled warmly "You look just like the Daichan I know."

With those simple few words, Daisuke's heart melted...

"And you look just as cute as ever Mao."

"Not true!" as always, Mao dislikes being called cute.

Daisuke chuckled "I'm quite sure the girls in your school are all pining for you because of your cuteness."

"Eh! Didn't you know? American girls dislike my appearance."

Yes, who would want a boyfriend who is more beautiful than they are? Daisuke thought. He tried his best to hide his happiness from hearing the news though. Well, that means his Mao is still safely single and free.

"Ano ne Daichan..."

"Hmmm?"

"I will come home on the 24th and stay in Japan until after the New Year's celebration."

"Mao..." Daisuke couldn't believe what he's hearing. "Is it for sure?"

"Yes. I haven't told my parents yet but I will tell them later tonight. You're the first person I told. I miss everyone there, really really much!"

"Mao..." Daisuke couldn't speak at all. The joy he's feeling because of the good news is spreading throughout his whole body like wildfire.

"Daichan, you look sick suddenly... are you not feeling well?

"I'm okay!" Daisuke exclaimed, blushing inwardly. "I'm so happy that you decided to spend your holidays here Mao. I really miss you too..."

...more than you could ever know baby.

"We should meet up as often as possible ne Daichan. To make up with the lost times." Mao's voice seemed to fade cutely on the last words which didn't escape Daisuke's ears. His cheeks were also more pinkish than usual.

With a tightening in his chest, Daisuke felt a ray of hope from the way Mao was looking at him through the camera. He bowed a few times then blinked up at him like a shy schoolboy.

"Mao, I will prepare for your return. You can expect that!" He let the happiness he feels show through.

At last, he can feel that he somehow has a chance at Mao's love. His heart is beating too loud he is thankful that Mao can't hear it. Although, he's sure his face is a mirror of what he's feeling at the moment.

"Hai! See you soon, Daichan!"

"See you Mao..."

And with that, Daisuke made his mind up. He will propose to Mao on his return to Japan!

_____________________________________________________

Daisuke honestly feels like a teenage girl. Here he is in front of an engraving shop, his heart beating wildly while clutching his grandmother's ring. His grandmother has given him the ring and made him promise to give it to the person he wants to spend his lifetime with.

He held the ring towards the gloomy sky, turning it slightly to reveal a gossamer engraving of the initials H.K & W.D. on the inside. He personally searched for and found an engraver who could do a special engraving for him where only through sunlight will the letters illuminate. Mao can be too secretive most of the time so wearing this ring won't be a burden to him.

The silver band itself is simple though. The only design it holds is a tiny engraved cherry blossom on the center and twisted vines that go around the ring.

Whether Mao will accept his proposal or not, the ring will belong only to him. He is the only person that Daisuke wants to spend his lifetime with.

He carefully placed the ring on its white box and pocketed it.

Three days to go and he would finally be able to see Mao's sweet smile. That idea is enough to make him grin like an idiot despite himself.

______________________________________________________

The club is already packed and extremely rowdy when Daisuke entered. His university friends have invited him to a Christmas reunion, saying that this is a rare occasion where most of them have time to spare. His friends have gone on to different paths and careers after their graduation where only Daisuke entered show business. He misses them terribly and so he immediately said ok to this get together.

His former dorm mate Takeru texted him earlier to inform him where their table is so he didn't need to glance everywhere to find them. He waved at the said person when Takeru finally saw him approaching their table.

"Guys, sorry for coming late. I had to run a quick errand." Daisuke fist bumped with the men one after the other. He stopped in his tracks though when he was finally able to properly see the woman sitting beside Takeru.

"Aiko..."

"Gomen Daisuke, I knew you would come but I still insisted on coming." Aiko smiled shyly and offered her hand.

Daisuke shook it "You shouldn't apologize Aiko. I'm happy to see you here, actually. Isn't it high time we buried all our conflicts in the past?"

In all honesty, Daisuke was just shocked to see his ex-girlfriend in this get together since after their break up, Aiko never approached him again as though she wanted to forget him completely.

"Thank you Dai... I'm happy to see you happy." Aiko's voice was laced with sadness though she was smiling widely.

Daisuke took the empty chair in front of Aiko. "Geez, you guys already finished 5 bottles without me!" He exclaimed upon seeing the empty bottles of liquor on the table.

"Eh! It's your fault for being late Daichan." Jun, the strongest drinker among them said. "What kind of errand did you have anyway? Is it for your girlfriend? "

This question raised the curiosity of everyone around the table.

Daisuke just laughed it off. "You would have known guys if I had a girlfriend."

"So there's still none? You're already a grandpa yet you still don't plan on getting married?" Yukito, the tallest in the group was slightly disappointed.

Daisuke just chuckled. He's already used to this kind of questions everywhere he goes. He can't help it that his lovelife is complicated, right?

"Well, this is actually a good news for our Aiko here, don't you guys think so?" Takeru exclaimed.

Aiko turned red at the comment but didn't say anything to oppose him.

Daisuke on the other hand slapped his friend's arm. "As I expected, you're already drunk. You really can't hold alcohol well Takeru..." he sighed. "Anyway guys, I can't drink much tonight as I have to drive home. I really just came because I can't miss seeing your handsome 32-year-old faces."

Awww... the grouped echoed then doubled over laughing after.

____________________________________________________

After a couple round of drinks, some of Daisuke's friends have gone off toward the stage to dance and embarrass themselves while the others are nowhere to be seen. Only Aiko stayed on their table. Daisuke is feeling more and more uncomfortable as the seconds pass by. Not only is Aiko silent but she also keeps on stealing glances at him.

"Ehem.." Daisuke cleared his throat. "I'll go look for those who went to the toilet." He stood abruptly.

Before he was able to leave though, Aiko caught his left arm.

"Chotto matte Dai..." her voice is pleading.

Daisuke knitted his eyebrows. "Aiko?"

"Are you avoiding me?"

"Um... no."

"But why can't you look straight at me?"

"Um... because I feel uncomfortable when you stare at me like this...?" Daisuke mentally hit himself for saying those words because Aiko's eyes were teary all of a sudden. "Uh I didn't mean it like that!"

"You do mean it like that... And it hurts because I know you don't feel anything for me anymore..."

"What are you saying Aiko? You're confusing me..."

"What I want to say is that I LOVE YOU WATANABE DAISUKE! I still do..." Aiko lowered her head as fresh tears fell on her cheeks.

To say that Daisuke is speechless is an understatement. He is beyond shocked. Aiko who decided to break up with him in university after their 2 year relationship because of unknown reasons is now crying brokenly in front of him.

"Why? How?" Only questions are able to come out of Daisuke's mouth.

"After breaking up with you I thought you..." here Aiko glanced up at him "would try to run after me but you didn't."

"I..."

"Why didn't you? Didn't I really matter that much to you?"

"I remember asking why you wanted to break up but you didn't give me any reason..."

"I didn't give you any reason because I wanted you to run after me!"

"Why?! I was too hurt that you broke up with me without any explanation so naturally, I got angry. Are you expecting me to say sorry and beg for your forgiveness knowing that I didn't do anything wrong?" Daisuke is getting upset at remembering the past.

"You didn't do anything wrong... that's right." Aiko held onto the table for support, "I was young and foolish. I didn't know how to handle love. I played with your feelings to test if you loved me enough. It was all my mistake!" Sobbing, she let her tears fall on the table. Each drop reminiscent of her regrets.

"I'm sorry for shouting at you... please don't cry anymore..." Daisuke, feeling guilty at the scene in front of him, put his hand on top of Aiko's. "I don't deserve your tears."

"You're still you, Dai... you're still the same man I fell inlove with 10 years ago."

Daisuke bit his lip. "Aiko... many things have changed..."

"My feelings didn't! I told you, I still love you..."

"I'm sorry..."

At Daisuke's answer, the sadness in Aiko's heart grew tenfold. She laughed brokenly.

"You have somebody else already..."

Daisuke just bowed his head. It was a confirmation that Aiko was dreading. She felt like fainting.

Suddenly, Daisuke's phone vibrated signalling an incoming call. The ringtone is an unusual one.

Gii...Gii...Gii...

Mao's Takumi voice ringtone is something a fan made and posted online. Daisuke has been using it ever since to tease Mao.

Aiko blinked several times. If she's not mistaken, it's Daisuke's friend Hamao Kyousuke calling. She has seen all of Daisuke's movies so she can't be mistaken. That ringtone...

"I'm sorry, I have to take this." Daisuke is already walking towards the exit when Aiko recognized an alarming fear has sprouted in her heart.


	2. Chapter 2

______________________________________________

Daisuke hurried past the club goers towards the nearest exit. The cold winter air hit his face upon getting outside but he didn't care. He immediately tapped "accept call" once he deemed the noise coming from the club bearable.

"Mao! Sorry for not answering immediately... I was with friends."

Mao sounded alarmed over the phone,

"Gomen ne... I will just call later..."

"No! I mean, it's okay..." Daisuke chuckled, his excitement and nerves mixing upon hearing his beloved's voice.

"Are you in a club? I can hear music..."

"Ahh yeah, with my friends from university."

"Oh..."

"It's really fine Mao." Daisuke is grinning like an idiot again. "Why did you call, anyway? Did something bad happen? Are you okay?"

"Umm yes I'm okay... demo... Daichan..."

"What is it Mao?" Daisuke can't help but worry. Mao's voice seems agitated.

"I called my parents to tell them about my plan..."

"Oh... and?"

"Daichan... Gomenasai, I can't go home for the holidays after all..."

Daisuke's grip on his phone tightened and he felt his knees getting wobbly. He reached for the nearest wall and let his back lean on it. "W-why?"

"My parents has been planning on coming here for Christmas. They have everything planned already and their flight is booked for tomorrow. I'm sorry, I didn't expect that they'd plan to spend the holidays here."

Daisuke blinked back the tears that has started to form in his eyes. "D-don't worry about it Mao. You should spend your vacation with y-your family. I'm sure they miss you a lot and I know you miss them too."

"Daichan..."

"Ano... M-my friends are getting crazier. I-I have to go back now. I'll call you later."

"Daichan-"

"Bye, Mao..." and with that, Daisuke hit the end button. He felt hot tears on his cheeks and he furiously wiped them off using his palms.

If the world were ending today, he wouldn't care. Hell, if the ground opens and eats him up, he will just let it happen. The pain in his heart is like tearing everything in him apart. How could he be so fucking pathetic? he thought. So, this is what being dumped feels like. Worthless.

______________________________________________

Something changed. Aiko is sure something in Daisuke's aura changed since he returned from accepting that call. He is now downing on his third bottle of beer and is strangely noisy. He laughs at his friends' stories louder than usual which is saying something since he normally laughs loudly. He also laughs even though the conversation is serious.

"What is that call all about?" Aiko thought as she stared at Daisuke now drinking his 5th. Her eyes turned into saucers as she realized he isn't drinking beer anymore but whiskey.

"Takeru! Stop him!" She ordered her friend.

"Why? He's having fun."

"No! He's not supposed to drink, remember? " She faced Daisuke, "Stop drinking already!"

Daisuke just laughed, "You sound like my mother. And I'm a strong drinker. Stronger than Mao~. Huh. Mao~ He drinks beer like its water. How could he do that with such a thin body?" Daisuke hiccupped and laughed again.

Aiko couldn't do anything but just stare at him. He just inserted Hamao's name like it's a part of anything he should talk about. And the way he says his name- it hurts Aiko more than she could ever admit.

An hour later, Ken and two other friends already said their goodbyes muttering something about "Wife is calling" " She won't open the door if I'm not home by 12."

Only four men are left plus Aiko who decided to stay to drive Daisuke home later.

When she returned from the powder room though, Daisuke is nowhere to be found.

"Takeru! Where did Daichan go?" She shook the shoulders of the half-asleep man.

"Dunno..."

"Aghhhh! You're useless..." feeling a sense of dread, she continued looking around the bar/club but she still couldn't find him.

She decided to ask one of the waiters near the exit.

"Did you see one of my friends? I keep on looking for him but I can't find him."

"What does he look like?"

"Tall. Wearing black coat and black leather boots. And he has a quite long hair but tied in a pony tail."

"Ah! The actor..."

It is during times like this that Aiko is thankful for Daisuke's popularity.

"Where did he go?"

"I saw him leaving more or less 10 minutes ago."

Ten minutes?! When I went to the toilet, Aiko thought.

She immediately dashed outside. Daisuke is drunk. He can't leave that fast.

She ran towards the parking area and stopped dead on her tracks when she saw that Daisuke's car is also nowhere to be found.

Daisuke blinked his haze away but his blurry sight is getting worse.

"Damn, I just need to go to the airport." He muttered under his breath. "I'll go propose to him in New York then kidnap and force him to marry me in one of those cute chapels. He'd be so shocked upon seeing me in his doorstep that he would be really defenseless." He smiled bitterly, the haunting emptiness in his heart gradually pervading his heart.

"Would he hate me too much if I begged?"

His grip on the steering wheel is getting careless though and he couldn't see outside his car well. It started snowing heavily again today so the chill is reaching him even through his car.

Speaking of proposal, where did he hide the ring again?

His left hand searched his pockets until he felt the something solid inside the left front pocket of his pants. Unfortunately, it slipped out of his hands while he was taking it out, falling silently near his boots.

Holding the steering wheel with his right hand, Daisuke reached for it but was disappointed when he realized it was just a packet of gum.

Suddenly, an intense light coming opposite his car which seemed to blind him and the sound of beeping horns made him realize he is about to collide with another vehicle. Reflexively, he tried to avoid the collision, maneuvering his car towards the left side. Eternity seemed to pass until there was a loud thud and he could almost see with his own eyes the overturning of his car. He felt numb all over. He could hear screams and voices from a distance though. The voices seemed to come nearer then suddenly grow fainter.

Mao...

He swore he could hear his Mao's sweet voice...

He tried to reach out but he felt himself losing consciousness. Feeling tired and sleepy, he was immediately met with total darkness- its silence welcoming and enveloping his body completely.

______________________________________________

The sound of the falling glass on his carpeted living room snapped Mao out of his thoughts. He glanced towards the window while picking the glass up.

Strange... he thought he heard someone call his name. It was too distant though that he wasn't able to make out the voice.

He stepped into his small kitchen, reaching for the fridge to get a carton of milk.

It's almost 1 am in the morning but he still couldn't sleep. After the phone call with Daichan, he felt restless and worried. Daichan sounded... different. He's used to being scolded by the older guy but the usual accusing tone isn't present during their talk. He actually expected to hear Daichan's disappointment so he already prepared his apology speech but his friend's reaction was... again, unusual. It's like he was too busy to even care.

Yeah, well, he was in a night club after all...

Mao sighed dejectedly, downing on a full glass of milk. He was really looking forward to seeing Daichan again but he just didn't have the heart to object his excited mother.

And anyway, looks like Daichan is fine without him.

He, on the other hand, is despondent. Living alone in a foreign land is totally depressing. He doesn't have friends at the design school he is attending. At first, some girls and well, gays ( they make up almost 50 % of the school's population) tried to chat him up but because of his poor English skills they gave up after a while.

He was used to getting by on his own anyway but thoughts of his hometown, of his cat Roku and of his dear friends keep popping on his mind.

And he is trying his best to avoid thinking about Daichan most of all. It's bad enough that he often dreams dirty fantasies of him, waking up sweating and painfully hard in the middle of the night.

How he ended up like this, he couldn't comprehend. It's like one day, he just realized how fast his heart beats when the older guy is around. Although looking back, it was more or less during the filming of their last Takumi Kun series. He kept it a secret, fearing that he would lose his career and the person he cares for the most once it's laid open.

He got by hiding this tragic secret for almost 3 years. He would be fine. He can't let Daichan know how empty he feels now that he can't see his face nor hear his infectious laughter.

Daichan would surely laugh at him and tease him mercilessly if he finds out that his little brother is secretly crushing on him.

Mao gingerly went back to his leather sofa. He picked the comforter that has fallen on the floor. He should force himself to sleep so he would have energy to pick his parents and his older brother up in the airport tomorrow.

_____________________________________________

"Um... excuse me, Miss-"

The voice of a nurse hovering in front of Aiko seemed to pull her off her slumber. She looked up to meet the sincerely worried face of the nurse. She can't blame her for worrying though, her eyes are probably too swollen from crying overnight.

"You're the girlfriend of Watanabe-san, aren't you?"

"H-hai." Last night, when Daisuke was transported to the hospital, she had to lie about her relationship with him. It was the only way they'd allow her to stay with him.

Thoughts about that night flashed thru her eyes. After realizing that Daisuke drove away, she rode her own car at once to follow him. The dread she was feeling materialized in front of her very own eyes. Daisuke's car was overturned on the left side of the highway, with another car stopped nearby.

Aiko snapped back to the present situation when the nurse proffered a medium-sized brown box to her. "I brought Watanabe-san's clothing- the ones he was wearing last night. His phone and other belongings are taken by the police for their investigation. And uh- a ring I found inside his coat's pocket is also here." The nurse smiled warmly at her. "Please be strong for Watanabe-san.

He needs the people who love him the most at this time."

Aiko gulped as fresh tears formed in her eyes. "Thank you for everything. I love him so much so I will stay strong for him."

The nurse tapped her lightly in the shoulder then silently walked away.

Aiko stared at the box that the nurse gave her.

A ring?

She sat back on the hospital bench and opened the box. Inside were Daisuke's boots, thick coat and clothes from last night, all wrapped individually in plastic bags. She digged more until her fingers seemed to touch a small box. Gingerly, she took it out and saw that it is a white ring box.

Her curiosity got the better of her and with shaking hands she opened it slowly.

It was Daisuke's grandmother's ring. The one he wore as a necklace pendant during their university days. She knows the significance of the ring to her ex-boyfriend, that it would someday belong to the person he would choose to marry.

Why he is carrying it that night, she doesn't know. What she knows is that she must take care of the ring for him and give it back when he wakes up from this nightmare.


	3. Chapter 3

________________________________________________

Mao shot up from the sofa when the angry ringtone of his phone tore the silence of his apartment away. He glanced at the wall clock near the TV set and realized he'd slept for almost 8 hours.

Frowning, he grabbed his Iphone from the center table but when he saw Yuuta's name on the screen, his frown changed into confusion. Yuuta never makes international calls like this. He always contacts him through Line.

"Moshi mo-"

"Mao! Why didn't you answer immediately?!"

"Eh?"

"Something happened last night!" Yuuta's frantic half-screaming voice alarmed Mao.

"W-what do you mean?"

"Daichan! He... he... there was an accident.. We're in the hospital now. The police said he was drunk driving. H-he almost collided with another car but he avoided it. His car overturned though and he's unconscious until now. Mao? Mao are you still there? "

Mao dropped his phone mindlessly. The world seemed to swallow him up and he felt like vomiting.

His hand reached up to cover his mouth as he tried to stop a scream from ripping out of his entire being.

_______________________________________________

"Hey... how is he?"

Ryoma sprung up from the cold tiled floor the moment Yuuta returned to the visitor's area.

"He's overwhelmed but he said he'd be catching the earliest flight he could." Yuuta addressed the group of men huddled near the ICU.

Last night, he got a phone call from a friend working in the hospital asking if he already knew that Daichan was rushed there. He was shocked beyond belief but nevertheless, he managed to contact most of Daichan's friends in the industry. Here they are, all wide-awake, waiting for whatever news the doctors might notify them.

"There are still a lot of repoters outside. Do you think Mao can visit unnoticed? I'd really hate for the tabloids to make assumptions as to why Mao would bother leaving his studies in America." Takki exclaimed exasperatedly. "Daichan wouldn't want Mao being harassed by them."

"I will talk to the hospital's security officers later. I'm sure they can arrange something for Mao's arrival." Keichan chimed in. The other men nodded.

"I still can't believe Daichan will drive after drinking. He always scolds us when we act irresponsibly." Kentaro sighed staring at the door of the ICU.

"Well, he probably has a reason for doing so." Yuuta leaned on the wall beside Takki.

"That's not the only thing that's making me wonder." Ryoma seriously announced. His eyes fixed on the woman talking to a nurse some meters away from their group. Beside her is a burly man whom Ryoma knew to be a certain Takeru-san."Daichan never mentioned having a girlfriend, especially a fiancee. I mean, he has his own personal life but do you think he didn't trust us enough to tell us this?"

Keichan followed Ryoma's sight and hung his head. "She's pretty though."

Ryoma glared at him. "That's besides the point."

Keichan just shrugged. "We'll know the complete story once Daichan wakes up. We'll have to keep on assuming until then."

Ryoma turned his sight toward the door of the ICU. He really hopes Daichan will wake up immediately. He doesn't like this uneasiness that has been gnawing at his stomach since he heard the bad news.

_______________________________________________

"He's my everything."

The person on the other side of the sofa was silent. Mao bit his lip to stop himself from saying things that might further worsen his situation. He heard his mother drawing out a deep breath.

"How long have you been feeling this?" Her voice was not with an angry tone but it was full of concern. Mao almost felt like sobbing again.

"For a long time now..."

"Does he know? Are you dating now?"

"No... I never told him. I couldn't." Mao absent-mindedly fiddled with the zipper of his travelling bag. He has already packed some clothes, ready to leave once he receives the e-ticket from his travel agency.

His parents and older brother have just arrived in his apartment when he told them about Daichan's accident. They were also shocked and worried since Daichan is quite close to their family.

He used to eat dinner with them when he visited Mao for script-reading during their Takumi-kun days. Well, they were more shocked when Mao announced his decision to go back to Tokyo to personally check his friend's condition.

"How about your studies?" His father looked ready to oppose him a while ago but a silent threat from his mother silenced him.

"Our classes will resume in mid-January. Daichan will probably be in a better condition that time."

Ryousuke, Mao's older brother was just silently listening to the conversation. He was sitting beside his father, on one of the stools placed around the dining table.

Mao's apartment is smaller than what he expected.

The dining area and the living room are not even separated by any wall. His bedroom though is spacious enough and he has a chic looking walk-in closet opposite the bathroom.

He has heard how Mao fell in love with the closet upon seeing the pictures sent in by their cousin living in Manhattan.

"Do you want us to go back with you, Kyouchan?" Their mother softly drapped her arm on Mao's shoulders.

"Mother, no! I have troubled you enough as it is. I wouldn't want to spoil your vacation too."

"Kyouchan, you know you're never a trouble for us, right? We'll always be here for you. No matter what you choose to become or what you want to do in life."

The tears that Mao has been trying to rein in fell from hearing his mother's words. He buried his face on her shoulder. After some time, he felt his father's hand on his hair. He looked up to see him smiling softly. "Father..."

His father nodded at him knowingly.

Ryousuke sighed, "Well, I guess I have to wait a few days more before I can punch Watanabe's smug face in for making you cry."

Mao was appalled. "You can't be serious Aniki!"

"I'm always serious when it comes to your happiness Kyouchan."

Mao pouted, "You don't need to protect me, I can do it for myself. Besides, it's not Daichan's fault that I cried. He-"

"Hah... look at what love did to you. You're becoming like an overprotective girlfriend."

"Mother! Aniki is bullying me again!" Mao turned to their mother for support.

"Hush, you two. Anyhow, do you know when your e-ticket will be emailed to you Mao?"

Mao glanced at his wristwatch. "In an hour according to the agency's message a while ago."

"You're really gonna be fine going home alone?"

"Mother, don't worry about me. I'm an adult already."

Mao's mother smiled warmly. Looking at her, one will realize from whom Kyousuke inherited his sweet smile.

"I know... and that's why I'm so proud of you my son." With that she enclosed her younger son in a tight embrace, praying to the gods above that he soon attains the happiness that he has been denied for a long time.

________________________________________________

"My son's gonna be fine, right?"

Mrs. Watanabe is already a mess when she and her husband arrived at the hospital. When she saw Daisuke's unmoving form surrounded by tubes and beeping machines she almost completely lost it. Her son had been on surgery for more than 12 hours.

The doctor said he's stable but they'd put him in the ICU, checking on his condition every now and then.

"So far, his body is reacting positively. And we have already conducted the necessary tests. The other results will be coming in soon."

Earlier, the doctor explained all the injuries that Daisuke's body acquired from the accident. Aiko, who was allowed to hear the report was only able to comprehend the words internal bleeding, minor broken bones and brain swelling.

She didn't care about specific medical words though. The only word she wants to hear is Daisuke's throaty "Hello".

"What we're focusing more on now is the swelling in his brain. Although it isn't severe, we'll have to monitor it closely. The swelling will surely subside but despite that, we still can't assure you exactly when he will wake up."

Mr. Watanabe gripped his wife's shoulder tighter, "What's important hon is he's alive. Our son is a fighter. He won't let this accident be the end of everything."

Daisuke's mother nodded. "I know that. I know I have to be strong too. But at times like this, it seems I am a weak mother after all. Daichan will be angry if he sees me crying and yet I can't stop these tears from falling." With that, sobs ripped out of her mouth again. "I j-just want to see my son s-smiling at me like he used to."

Aiko placed her hand on top of Mrs. Watanabe's. She wants to comfort her badly but she doesn't know how to when she herself needs comforting.

"Aikochan, I'm sorry you had to go through this too." Mrs. Watanabe sadly held her hand, her thumb stroking Daisuke's ring placed on Aiko's ring finger. "I will properly scold my son for making you worry so much."

Aiko bit her lip. She knows she'll have to tell everyone the lie she made when Daisuke wakes up but right now, this feeling is too surreal it's blinding her. She feels like this is where she's supposed to belong to. With Daisuke's family and naturally with Daisuke himself.

After the doctor dismissed them, Aiko held onto Mrs. Watanabe's arm and helped her stand. The older lady staggered a bit and was grateful for her assistance. With Daisuke's father following behind, they exited the doctor's office together.

The small smile on Aiko's face was instantly wiped away though when, upon stepping out into the corridor, she saw with her very own eyes the timely arrival of the one person she isn't expecting to see.

A/N

In the next chapter, Daisuke will finally wake up.


	4. Chapter 4

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"Mao-kun!"

The group of men who were waiting with bated breath a while ago in front of the office are now running toward the skinny young man carrying a traveling bag.

Ryoma is the first one to reach him, hugging him tightly and selfishly.

"Mao-kun, I told you to call me when you are in the airport already. We planned to bring you here secretly." Yuuta was a little upset but Mao looked too sad that he didn't have the heart to scold him too much.

"It's okay Yuuta. I used the underground parking entrance. I knew there would be mediamen outside."

Yuuta sighed, "That's good then. You still think like we do."

"Baba, stop hugging the daylights out of Mao." Keichan pried Ryoma's arms away from Mao. "We don't want another person in the ICU."

Hearing the word ICU, Mao snapped back to the people standing in front of the doctor's office. "Watanabe-san..." he addressed Daisuke's mother. "I-I'm sorry for what happened..."

Mrs. Watanabe nodded, "It is unfortunate but I want to express my gratitude to all of you for being here for my son. It means a lot to us knowing that many people care about Daichan. Thank you..." She bowed humbly.

The group of men also bowed toward her. "We will be beside Daichan until he wakes up! We'll help each other take care of him." Ouji exclaimed vigorously.

The older woman smiled greatfully, "I know from my son's own experience that all of you are busy with your careers and being here for almost 2 days already is straining your schedules. I know my son wouldn't want to be a burden to his friends. Besides," she gestured towards Aiko, "Daichan's fiancee is here to take care of him."

"D-Daichan's fiancee?" Mao stared open mouthed at the woman standing beside Mrs. Watanabe. He noticed her a while back but he thought that she was probably Daisuke's relative or a member of his staff. Now that her real connection with Daisuke is known, he almost felt nauseous.

"Yes. It was also a surprising news to us but," Mrs. Watanabe took Aiko's left hand. "Daichan has given her his grandmother's ring. He has chosen her to be his wife." With this, she smiled widely at the younger woman.

Mao unconsciously grabbed at Ryoma's arm. He felt his heart constricting painfully.

"Mao, daijoubu ka?" Ryoma whispered, not wanting to alarm the others. In truth, he's been worried about Mao hearing the news. Mao might not tell his feelings straightforwardly but most of the people around him and Daisuke can feel how much he cares for the older man.

Mao tried to regain his bearings and smiled at his friend. "Hai! Daijoubu desu. I'm probably just tired from the trip."

Takki stepped forward and bowed. "Watanabe-san, we are greatful for your concern. I hope you would still allow us to visit Daichan while he's recovering. We want to help out through whatever we can do."

Daisuke's father nodded. "You can come whenever possible. When my son wakes up, I'm sure he'd be looking for all of his friends."

The younger men cheered and smiled at each other.

Through all of these conversations, Aiko was silently but nervously fidgeting. Meeting the infamous Hamao Kyousuke is something she's been dreading. Not only is the young man one of Daisuke's special friends but also probably the reason why he got too drunk that night of the accident. If this were true, then this man would be the rival that she has to defeat in order to regain the heart of the man she loved and still loves completely.

______________________________________________

Days passed by quickly.

The doctors had already permitted Daisuke's transfer to a private room after considering that most of his injuries are healing without complications. The swelling in his brain has also subsided entirely and right now, they are only waiting for him to wake up. Unfortunately, he hasn't shown any sign of waking up yet. One of the doctors even considered the possibility that Daisuke himself is trying to fight consciousness.

"My parents came back yesterday. You know, they are also worried about you. Even my brother." Mao opened the blinds to let in the little brightness that winter morning could offer. "He said he'd be hating you more if you don't wake up immediately. You don't want that to happen now would you? He's really scary when he's upset."

Mao sat on the chair beside the hospital bed. He rested his elbows near Daisuke's pillow and rested his chin on them. "And I told you before, I hate hospital smell. For whatever reason It makes me feel itchy. The scenes are also awful Daichan! Your mother, she cried yesterday when she saw the young patient next room being wheeled out covered in white cloth... You're a terrible son for making her cry Daichan."

The steady beating of the heart monitor seemed to be the only answer he got from the comatose man. Mao raked his hand through his hair. His hair has grown again, he noticed. Daisuke's hair has, too. He likes longer hair on him actually. If he were awake, he'd look really gorgeous with his hair in ponytail. Not that he doesn't look good now. He looks good all the time, Mao muses. Gingerly, he touched the sleeping man's cheek. It's as warm as his hands.

"I don't want to go back to New York while you're still here Daichan. I don't want to be away not knowing whether you've woken or not. I want to be here when you open your eyes. I want to be the person you'll see first, the person you'll smile at first."

Mao blinked back the tears that are attempting to fall from his eyes. These days, it seems he has transformed into an overly-dramatic high school girl, especially with these tears that seem to just pop out of his eyes without any warning whatsoever.

"Please wake up immediately Daichan. I want to see your beautiful smile again and hear your sexy laugh..."

"Daichan... I beg you... wake up please..."

______________________________________________

Daisuke stopped on his tracks. He looked behind him where the sound seemed to come from. Unfortunately, behind him, all he could see is darkness.

He could hear lots of voices coming from nowhere since he woke up in this strange place. There were sweet voices, plain voices, serious voices, sometimes angry voices.

This one voice is different and totally stands out. It warms him when this strange place suddenly turns too cold and cools him when he feels his body burning up. This voice is usually bright and even though he immediately forgets what the voice says after a moment, he remembers how affectionate it is.

This time, that voice's tone is different though. It's melancholic and hurting.

Daisuke tried to run after the voice, not caring whether he couldn't see anything. Ultimately, he felt himself losing breath but fearing he could lose the voice's direction, he didn't stop running.

A ray of light seemed to come out from in front of him. Blinded, he tried to avoid it but the light continued getting bigger until it swallowed him completely.

________________________________________________

A slight twitching of fingers: it was enough to make Mao fall disgracefully from his chair. He stood stunned and his eyes unable to move away from Daisuke's form. The slight twitching became full on spasms as Daisuke started trembling.

Mao felt himself screaming without sound. He scrambled towards the wall where the red buzz is located and continuously pressed it. After a short moment, doctors and nurses came running. Mao was ushered outside, shaken and face covered in tears.

Daisuke's parents and Aiko came immediately after one of the nurses called them. It has been more or less 30 minutes since the doctors went inside Daisuke's room but nobody has come out yet. Mao stayed slumped on the floor hugging his knees and crying silently. Seeing Daisuke's body suffer like that is something he'll probably never get over with.

After some minutes, Daisuke's doctors and nurses came out. Most of them nodded towards Daisuke's parents before walking away. Only the head physician, Dr. Koyanagi, stopped to face them, his face bearing an unreadable expression.

Mao quickly got up to meet him but Daisuke's parents got to the doctor first.

"Please tell me my son is fine." Mrs. Watanabe pleaded.

"Your son is not just fine. He is also already awake."

Mao felt his heart almost jumping out of his chest. Mrs. Watanabe cried happily and hugged her husband.

"There seems to be a problem with him though." The doctor continued, cutting their blooming happiness off.

"W-what do you mean, Sensei?"

"I'm sorry to tell you this but your son seems to be experiencing a selective loss of memory."

Mao felt his heart drop at the news.

"Amnesia is a medical condition where the patient loses parts of his memories because of shock, brain injuries, illness and so on. The reason it took us a long time inside the room is that we had to ask the patient routine questions to check the condition of his brain, his thinking in particular."

Mao listened intently to the doctor's words, hoping that he misheard what he said a while ago. Unfortunately, he heard everything correctly.

"It is normal for patients who suffered from severe brain injuries to be confused about our questions but your son has not only forgotten a lot of his memories, he also thinks that he is still a university student and he believes that he is in the hospital because of a motorcycle accident." The doctor continued, making Mrs. Watanabe gasp.

"That's true. He had a motorcycle accident when we were in university before." Aiko exclaimed.

"What will happen to my son now?" Mrs. Watanabe clung onto her husband's arm.

"We will conduct more tests to understand what he is really going through. But so far, all I can advise you is to not force information upon your son. His mind is very sensitive and weak right now. As much as possible it is important that all his memories return to him naturally."

Mao breathed in deeply. He felt the words of the doctor suffocating him.

"I will allow his immediate relatives to see him now. The rest will have to wait until we finish all the tests we need to do." He pointedly looked at Mao, making the latter bow nod his head sadly.

Mao was left heartbroken as he watched Daisuke's parents together with Aiko enter the four cornered room that has become Daisuke's silent sanctuary for several weeks.

"Daichan!" Mrs. Watanabe immediately ran towards Daisuke's bed upon seeing his son's eyes open.

Daisuke's heart monitor is already pushed aside but he still has a tube injected to the back his left hand. He looks tired and pale but he kept his eyes open as if he's afraid that it would close without his knowledge.

The old woman took her son's right hand in her own. "You made me worry so much Daichan. Please don't do this to me again. I won't allow you to drive any vehicle anymore!"

Mr. Watanabe coughed intentionally. "Hon, this is not enough of a reason to not let our son drive again."

"I don't care! I want to make sure my son will be safe and sound always."

"Watanabe-kun, do you remember these people with me?" Dr. Koyanagi softly asked the patient.

Daisuke nodded sluggishly. "H-hai. M-mama, P-papa," he inclined his head sideways to stare at Aiko,

"..and A-aiko?"

Aiko's lips broke into a wide smile at Daisuke's remembrance of her.

"D-demo, why do all of you look older?"

Daisuke's innocent inquiry made his parents look at each other crestfallenly.

"Watanabe-kun, do you remember my questions to you earlier?" The physician continued.

Daisuke nodded once more.

"That is to test whether the accident has caused damage- I mean, injury to your thinking. As I told you earlier, your brain activity seems to be acting fine but,"

"But?" Daisuke implored nervously.

"Your memory as of the moment is stricken."

"Sensei, I don't understand-" Daisuke tried to sit up from his current lying position. He clutched his forehead as he felt a sudden wave of nausea. Mrs. Watanabe immediately hugged her son.

"Daichan, please don't force yourself..."

"Sensei, please tell me what happened to me exactly!" Daisuke begged, breathing laboriously.

"Watanabe-kun, I'm sorry to tell you this but because of the accident, large parts of your memory are locked away. We are not yet a hundred percent sure why but we will be conducting tests to determine the cause of your memory loss and how to cure it, if possible."

Daisuke felt as if he was punched on the stomach. His mother didn't let go of him and even held him tighter.

"T-tell me, what year is it now?" He croaked out.

"Daichan," his father muttered. "Today is the 27th of January, year 2015."

Daisuke laughed out, surprising the people around him. "Wow! And here I am thinking I'm still in University. How funny!" He said sarcastically. "How can I forget all those years that has passed?"

"There is still a big possibility that you'll recover your memories these coming days. Usually, this kind of illness doesn't last too long. You will be able to remember as time passes by." Dr. Koyanagi assured the younger man.

"But is there also a possibility that I won't remember those memories anymore?"

"Watanabe-san, as your doctor I'm advising you to be optimistic. Please refrain from worrying too much as it might affect your condition."

Daisuke sank back on his bed helplessly.

"I want to know what kind of accident I got into to be in this situation now. I promise, I won't panic. I just want to know why I'm here." He stared at his mother pleadingly.

Mrs. Watanabe turned towards Aiko, "I think, Aiko should be the one to explain it to you. She was the one who brought you here."

Aiko's eyes widened dramatically. She felt her throat going dry and her legs unable to move.

Daisuke's mother took her hand and squeezed it softly before turning back to her son. "Daichan, Aiko is not just your girlfriend anymore. She is your fiancee." She then showed off Aiko's hand towards him.

Daisuke's eyes widened upon seeing his grandmother's ring on Aiko's ring finger.

"T-that is..." He blinked upwards to look at his supposed fiancee. "Aiko, did I really propose to you?"

Aiko gulped. She glanced at Daisuke's parents nervously before looking the man straight in his eyes. "Yes, Daichan. It's true. You proposed to me and I accepted."

"Then, we were together during the accident?"

"H-hai! We've been separated for some time already but that night, we met up again together with our university friends. We realized that we still love each other and you decided to propose to me immediately so you gave me this ring. We celebrated our getting back together but you got really drunk. When I left to go to the toilet, you thought I had gone out so you drove your car to follow me. Unfortunately, you weren't able to control your car because of your drunkenness." The words flew out of Aiko's mouth as if they're real. She felt a pang of conscience for lying in front of Daisuke's parents but the story seemed so natural even in her own mind.

Yes, Daichan. That's true. That's the truth you should know. How we're meant to be with each other since the beginning. This is a chance given by the heavens because you and I are destined to be together forever...


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> I realized how angsty most of the chapters are (including this chapter) but rest assured that it won't be like this forever. In the following chapters, there would be the fluff that DaiMao are known for ;)

_______________________________________________________

"Ugh! The accident didn't kill me but I will die from boredom here." Daisuke muttered under his breath as he stared at his hospital room's plain surroundings. Suddenly, a hesitant knock on the door roused him up. He waited with anticipation until the door opened and an unknown face with stand-out cheekbones peered through. The face brightened upon seeing him awake and finally opened the door widely.

Daisuke's eyes widened when a group of unusually good-looking men emerged. They looked like the ikemen he remembers seeing on magazines: tall, clear-skinned, handsome.

"Ehem-" Cheekbones cleared his throat. Daisuke stared at him curiously. His cheekbones are really awesome, he thought.

"We will introduce ourselves one after the other." Cheekbones continued.

Daisuke nodded with unblinking eyes.

"My name is Baba Ryoma. You usually call me BabaRyo or just Baba when you're annoyed. Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu!" Cheekbones spoke too fast in a high tone that Daisuke almost didn't catch his name.

"BabaRyo? Sounds cool!" He smiled widely, feeling infected by the man's energy.

"Wait till you get tired of his hyperactive behavior." The guy beside him remarked, his quite serious face and sharp eyebrows making Daisuke cower a bit. "By the way, my name is Minami Keisuke. You can call me Keichan like everybody else does." He then wiggled his eyebrows amusingly. Daisuke felt himself relaxing again.

"And I am Yagami Ren," The long-haired guy beside Keichan moved nearer to his bed, offering a hand. "But I prefer to be called Ouji."

Daisuke shook his hand happily.

"Ohh, I'm next!" The tallest and probably the thinnest man he's ever seen exclaimed. His womanly features almost deceived him, if not for his manly voice. "Yuuta Furukawa at your service! You call me Yun or Yuuta or Furukawa, depending on your laziness."

Daisuke laughed self-consciously. It seems he has crazy friends in the entertainment industry. He then moved his attention towards the last guy. If Yuuta were beautiful, this one is surely a stand-out. He can't even find the right words to describe him. He is also tall but he's probably the smallest in the group and the way he is bowing his head is adorable.

"Ano..." the man bit his lip before looking at Daisuke with impossibly large eyes. "I'm Hamao kyousuke. You can decide what to call me."

Daisuke knitted his brows. This guy's voice seems familiar to him. It's like he heard it somewhere recently.

"Daichan, we are not the only friends you have in the industry. The rest are unfortunately working today but they'll be visiting in the days to come." Yuuta explained.

"I-I have more friends?"

"Of course! You are liked by everyone and also well-respected." Keichan stated matter-of-factly.

This information brought immeasurable happiness to Daisuke's heart. "I didn't imagine I could be a person like that."

"Well, you are Daichan which is why everyone already anticipates your return." Ryoma excitedly stated.

"Ah... about that, I'm not sure whether I can go back to my work immediately considering my situation now." Daisuke also felt disappointed at this fact. This people all appear to be nice and fun to be with. He really looks forward to working with them but at the moment he doesn't have courage yet to face up to his present life.

"Don't worry Daichan, we're all here to help you adjust to your life. Especially, Mao here!" Ryoma lightly pushed Mao towards Daisuke. Mao staggered a bit before throwing Ryoma a lethal look which the latter just laughed off. "He came back from his studies in America just to comfort you."

Daisuke turned to the man in question. "You came back just because of me?" He couldn't believe what he heard.

Mao was busy staring at the floor though. Avoiding Daisuke's eyes, he just nodded affirmatively. Daisuke felt a tug in his heart at the sight of the seemingly timid young man. As if in trance, he couldn't seem to remove his eyes away from him.

The sound of the door opening snapped him out of staring. Aiko entered together with Takeru, his dormitory roomate in university.

"Takeru!" He exclaimed happily. "I'm glad you could visit."

The burly man came forward and bumped fists with Daisuke.

"Have you met my colleagues?" He gestured towards Ryoma and the others.

"Sure. We were acquainted while you were still in the ICU."

"Ah, that's great. Aiko," he turned towards the woman who chose to stay near the door. "Come here. You also know them already, right?"

"We were only introduced that time." Ryoma couldn't help chiming in.

"Oh..." Daisuke was surprised. He expected his friends and fiancee to have known each other for some time already.

"Daichan, I told you we were separated for a long time, right? We just got back together recently so there was never a chance to meet them before." Aiko went towards her boyfriend and kissed him in the cheek.

Mao, who was silently watching, bowed his head even lower at the display of affection. He bit his lip and with a small voice uttered, "I-I need to go now guys."

Daisuke snapped towards him, alarmed. The thought of him leaving is strangely sending him a dreadful feeling. "So soon..." he stated, disappointed.

For the first time that day, Mao held his gaze. "I'm sorry, I have another appointment today. But I-I will return tomorrow." He whispered. He then excused himself and bid his goodbyes to his friends before exiting the room, leaving Daisuke confused. Ryoma sighed deeply before excusing himself as well. He followed Mao out in the corridor but he has already disappeared as fast as a lightning.

"You shouldn't have left like that."

Mao raised his head to meet Ryoma's disapproving look. He is sitting on one of the shaded benches in the hospital's well-tended park. It isn't snowing heavily in Tokyo this time of the year and the sun is shining brightly so there were a lot of patients together with their families in the park.

"Babachan..."

Ryoma sighed and sat beside the younger man. "You should always be beside him at times like this."

Mao stared at him, finally realizing that Ryoma knows his real feelings before he turned to look up the sky. "He'll be fine with Aiko-san."

"Are you giving up, Mao? Just because of that woman?"

"That woman is Daichan's fiancee." Mao stated sadly. "She has more rights to be beside him."

"I don't know about that Mao. I really smell something fishy about her."

"Babachan, maybe you just side on me because I'm your friend. And anyway, I've known since the beginning how impossible my love is."

"Mao!" Ryoma grabbed both of the younger man's shoulders. "Don't say such things. Daichan really cares about you. I know because I've always seen how he looks at you. And a while back- he looked at you the same way he did before!"

Mao hung his head to hide the tears that are forming in his eyes. "Please don't make me expect again Babachan. I've already been hurt many times."

"Mao..." Ryoma let go of his shoulders. "I want to help you and Daichan because both of you are my friends."

Mao just sniffed and rubbed his eyes dry with the back of his hands before resting his head on Ryoma's shoulder.

"Thank you Babachan for being my friend..."

Ryoma wrapped his arm on the younger man's shoulders in turn, thinking to himself that he'll continue trying to bring Mao and Daichan together, where they really belong.

\-----------------------------------------------------

"You're crazier than I thought."

Aiko glared at Takeru who is towering over her. They are walking towards the parking lot, with Aiko offering to send Takeru off. The latter bid goodbye to Daisuke earlier, telling him how he has to go back to Hokkaido because of his job.

"You lie as if you're a professional. Why don't you try changing careers too? Daichan could surely help you."

Aiko just continued walking, pointedly not minding her friend's statement.

"When he starts remembering you'll get even more hurt. Are you not worried about him hating you for pretending to be his fiancee?" It seems, Takeru has more to say though.

Aiko was stopped on her tracks, "The present is more important to me. I'll face my fears when they happen."

"You surely changed Aiko..."

"Love changes people. You should know. You've been in love too."

"Yes-" Takeru sighed, "With a woman who's willing to risk everything for the person she's crazy about."

"Takeru-"

"You get it right? The reason I'm just letting you do things? Daichan is also my friend, but I'm throwing it away because of you."

Aiko bit her lip, knowing exactly what her friend meant.

Takeru raised his right hand to touch her face. Aiko stared at him unmoving. Suddenly, in the corner of her eyes, she saw Hamao kyousuke approaching a parked car near where they're standing.

The young man saw them too, stopping on his tracks. She immediately moved her face away from Takeru's hand.

Takeru glanced at the former actor, bowing slightly to acknowledge him.

"C'mon Takeru, or you'll be late on your flight." Aiko dashed to her car and quickly got in the driver's side. She didn't wait for a long time as Takeru got in immediately afterwards.

Aiko bolted the car, passing by the younger man who stared at their car with a dark look on his face.

"I really hate that guy! If he says anything to Daichan, he'll hear a piece of my mind." Aiko grunted under her breath while driving.

"Why do you hate him? He didn't do anything yet."

"You know the reason!"

"What? Your crazy ideas about his real relationship with Daichan? You're not even sure Daichan has feelings for him. Besides, you're not Daichan's fiancee. You don't have any right."

"Exactly! That's why I don't want him near Daichan." Aiko angrily gripped the steering wheel. "You saw him in the flesh. He's insanely beautiful. Everyday I see him I realize more and more that my suspicions are not impossible."

"But Daichan isn't gay and you know how much he hated gays back in university."

"Does that even matter now? We all know how he's changed after being an actor. He even starred in a gay movie, for god's sake. It won't be uncommon for him to fall inlove now with another man."

"Aiko..."

"I know, I'm getting crazier. I just love him so much even after all these years. Is it so bad that I want him back with me without other people threatening our relationship?"

"Don't make this get out of hand Aiko. Don't ruin your life. I won't be here most of the time to protect you."

"I know..." Aiko uttered brokenly. It's true, she realized, how love makes people commit mistakes but although she knows that what she's doing is wrong, she blindly holds on to a hope that Daisuke will realize one day that she is the one that is meant to be with him forever.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> For the readers with unwavering support :) Please don't hate me for always making Mao cry. I wouldn't if there are other ways but alas, it is needed.

_______________________________________________________

"Seriously, why did you quit being an actor?"

Mao paused from peeling an orange to glance at Daisuke who is staring at him curiously.

"How did you know?"

"The guys told me yesterday." Daisuke cupped his chin, not breaking his gaze at the younger man. "You're really pretty, you know? You can be really famous with that kind of face."

Mao spluttered, "Eh?"

Daisuke laughed merrily. "Is that surprising?"

"No... You usually call me kawaii when you want to tease me." Mao finished peeling the orange. He offered it towards the man sitting on the hospital bed, which the latter took gratefully.

"So why did you quit?"

"I wanted to study. I guess, acting is not really meant for me. But I'm happy because I met many people in the industry."

"Really? Including me, right?" Daisuke smiled expectantly.

"Right..." Mao felt his cheeks getting hot so he bowed for the nth time since entering the hospital room.

"C'mon!" Daisuke exclaimed after finishing the orange up. He suddenly removed the blanket covering half of his body.

"Eh?!" Mao was surprised he almost jumped out.

Daisuke is already wearing a pair of soft jeans since he is supposed to check out of the hospital this afternoon. He jumped out of the bed like a kid, a dizzying sensation coming over him at once.

Mao rushed to him worriedly. "Daichan, are you okay? I will call the doctor!"

"No! You don't have to, I'm okay..." Daisuke smiled to reassure the young man. "I was just dizzy because I don't usually leave this bed. Anyway, we should go while the others aren't here yet."

"To where exactly?"

"Anywhere, just not in this boring room. I wanna enjoy the good weather and see the blue skies."

"You can see it from here." Mao gestured towards the window.

Daisuke sighed patiently, "I mean, I wanna go for a walk outside, under the sun."

"But-"

"Hamao-kun, do you hate me?"

"Eh? Why do you think so?"

"Because it seems you don't want to be with me." Daisuke stated matter-of-factly. "Yesterday, you left so early and now, you don't want to go for a walk with me."

Mao's eyes widened dramatically. "That's not true. I'm just worried you might exhaust yourself."

Daisuke waved his hand, "I'm perfectly healthy now. I can assure you I'll be fine. So?"

Mao sighed before taking Daisuke's shoes from under the bed. "Okay, but we'll return immediately."

"Yosh!" Daisuke air-fisted excitedly.

They ended up going to the park, the cool winter air blowing on their faces. Mao kicked a small stone repeatedly while walking slowly. He kept glancing at Daisuke now and then, making sure the other man catches up to him. Daisuke stared at him with a smile on his face.

"I guess I can understand myself for calling you kawaii." He couldn't help blurting out.

Mao sighed again, "I'm not."

Daisuke just laughed.

They continued their leisurely walking until Daisuke requested they take a rest in one of the shaded benches.

"Did we ever work in a project together or we just knew each other naturally?" Daisuke stared up the sky as he said this, not noticing the worried look on Mao's face.

"Is meeting because of work unnatural?" Mao asked back.

Daisuke laughed again. "Let me rephrase it, did we meet by any other method aside from working together?"

"Why are you asking that suddenly?"

Daisuke cocked an eyebrow at the younger man. "That's unfair you know? You have to answer my question first before asking another one."

Mao cupped his mouth. "Sorry-"

Daisuke laughed out again. "You don't have to say sorry. Just answer my question."

"Um, we first met in a stage musical production of TeniPuri and then we starred in several movies and musicals together. Also, we hosted some internet shows-"

"Internet shows?"

"Like talk shows."

"Ahhh... we really did a lot together huh?"

The word together made Mao smile unconsciously.

Daisuke stared at him unblinkingly.

Mao glanced at him when he didn't say anything after some time. He caught the older man staring at him again.

"W-why? Is there dirt on my face?"

"No..." Daisuke chuckled nervously. "It's the first time you smiled in front of me. You have a wonderful smile."

Mao's eyes widened and his heart beat faster.

"You should smile always. Or is your smile reserved only for your girlfriend?"

Mao's face fell at Daisuke's question.

"I-I don't have a girlfriend."

"Why?"

Mao avoided his stare. "I think we should go back now. Your parents will be coming soon." With this, he stood up and started walking back towards the hospital building.

Daisuke got confused at his sudden change of mood. He scrambled to catch up to Mao and didn't notice a protruding trunk of a tree on his way. His left foot tripped, making him fall unceremoniously on the ground.

Mao turned back worriedly upon hearing the thud followed by Daisuke's cry of pain, the sight almost sending him a heart attack.

"Daichan!" Mao almost flew towards the fallen man. He knelt and gathered him in his arms. "Oh my god... oh my god..." he kept panicking, seeing the scratches on Daisuke's palms and elbows. Tears started forming in his eyes.

"Hey, hey, I'm okay..." Daisuke reassured him after seeing his worried face. He grew more concerned as tears fell from Mao's eyes.

"Hamao-kun, seriously, I'm okay."

Mao has never felt more tormented than now, his feelings upon hearing about Daisuke's accident while he was in New York returning and washing over him. He has never considered that Daisuke almost disappeared from his life forever. Now, seeing the man's scratches felt like rubbing salt on fresh wounds.

"We should go back and have the nurses treat your wounds." Mao helped Daisuke to his feet after drying the tears that cascaded down his own cheeks.

Mao didn't say anything again when they returned to the room or even after the nurses put ointment on Daisuke's wounds. Daisuke wanted to say something after witnessing Mao cry but he felt stuffy. There's something about Mao's behavior that puzzles him. More than that, there's also something that's nagging him at the back of his mind. He couldn't quite place it yet but he's sure, he only feels it when he's around the young man.

\-----------------------------------------------

"What do you think are you doing?" Aiko ran after Mao who bid goodbye when Daisuke's parents finally came to fetch their son.

Mao stopped from walking to face her.

"What do you mean?"

"One of the nurses told me about what happened. You knew he's still weak yet you decided to bring him outside."

"It wasn't my decision." Mao gave her a level look. "You can ask him if you want."

"Still! You could've denied him! How inconsiderate can you get?!"

"I couldn't find enough reason to deny him a simple request." Mao held Aiko's glare steadily. "I accept that I wasn't able to protect him while we were outside and I am partly to blame for his wounds but I can never acknowledge the guilt you're trying to put on me."

"What?" Aiko's glare turned into confusion.

"I know what you're doing. You're trying to make me feel guilty."

"Hah! Fine, but that's because you are."

Mao just sighed deeply. "I don't mean to be rude but if that's all you want to say, may I be excused now?" He then proceeded to walk away when he heard her speak again.

"What will Daichan think if he finds out about your sexuality?"

Her question hit Mao head-on. The young man stayed rooted to the spot, unable to face Aiko.

"You can fool the world but not me, Hamao-kun. I know how you feel about my boyfriend and it makes me feel disgusted about your existence."

She watched obnoxiously as Mao started trembling from rage.

The younger man faced her finally, too angered from what he heard that he didn't notice when Daisuke and his parents finally emerged from the hospital room.

"Yes, I'm gay! And if you're disgusted with me then you can leave me the hell alone!"

At this, Mrs. Watanabe gasped. Mao heard her, his face turning red as he realized that Daisuke and his parents were listening.

Unfortunately, a paparazzo who has waited for Daisuke to check out also saw the commotion. He started snapping pictures, the sound of the shutter making Mao's eyes widen with fear.

He snapped at the photographer who immediately ran away after taking several shots then turned back towards Daisuke.

The latter was too stunned to even react. He just stared at Mao, his own eyes also as wide as saucers.

Mao blinked back his tears. He squared his shoulders and left a pleading glance at Daisuke before bolting away.

\-----------------------------------------

"Otsukare!"

Ryoma has just finished taping for his new TV drama. He bid goodbye to his coworkers, half-focusing on his phone. Shota just sent him an email.

He tapped it open to check the message and was shocked to see the content.

There's a new photo of Mao going around the internet now! I'm trying to call him but he's not answering. Send me a message if you have any news. I'm worried.

A link to the photo was also included in the email. Ryoma tapped it twice and the photo's caption hit him hard.

Former actor Hamao Kyousuke admits being gay in public.

The photo shows Mao and a woman with blurred face. Despite that, Ryoma couldn't be mistaken. That woman is Aiko and surely, Daichan already knows what happened. Ryoma gathered his things and with determination, he ran towards the parking lot.

\--------------------------------------------

The apartment is neither big nor small, Daisuke thought as he walked around his living room, pausing in front of a glass cabinet housing some miniature cars and motorcycles on the uppermost shelve. The rest of the shelves are occupied by DVDs and books.

His living room floor is covered with a dark greenish carpet, a jarring contrast to the white ceiling and walls.

Besides that and the white leather sofa set, the whole area is devoid of other ornaments that not even a single photo frame could be seen.

He had seen his bedroom and the guest room a while ago and both are also decorated plainly. Only the kitchen seems complete with the necessary wares.

Fortunately, the whole apartment was kept clean while he was in the hospital. Aiko said she often came to clean the rooms for Daisuke's homecoming.

"Am I really as plain as this?" He turned towards Aiko who was busy bringing out his clothes from an overnight bag. His parents have already gone back to his sister's house in another village nearby. They chose to stay there since the place is much bigger and his sister needs company. His mother also whispered about giving him and Aiko privacy.

"What do you mean? This place is nice in my opinion." Aiko smiled.

"I just remember how I usually posted picture frames in the different dorm rooms I had. You know I love taking pictures. Seeing my adult apartment like this is just strange I think."

If he weren't busily staring at his plain walls, he would've seen the agitation that passed by Aiko's face.

"We can post new frames if that's what you want."

Suddenly, the loud ringing of the doorbell made them turn towards the front door.

"I'll go get it." Daisuke quickly rushed to the door.

The person waiting outside isn't someone he's expecting though. "Baba-kun?"

"May I come in?" Baba's face has a worried expression so Daisuke let him in immediately.

When Ryoma saw Aiko in the living room though, his worried expression changed into a frown.

"Can we talk privately?" He asked Daisuke.

"Yeah, sure. Let's go to my room." Daisuke ushered him towards his room, closing the door completely when they were already inside.

Ryoma frowned even more after looking around the room.

"What is it Baba-kun?" Daisuke got confused at his friend's strange expression.

"Your apartment- it's different from the last time I've been here."

"Huh?"

"More importantly, I came here because I saw a picture of Mao on the internet. It was taken today in the hospital. I figured you knew something about it." Daisuke's face clouded over upon remembering.

"What really happened? And where is Mao?"

"He ran away afterwards. I don't know where he is now." Daisuke sat down on his bed.

"You didn't follow him?"

Daisuke shook his head, shocking Ryoma.

"How could you let that happen?" He asked, getting angry at the confused older man.

"I was shocked! I didn't expect him to be gay!" Daisuke exclaimed exasperated.

Ryoma breathed in and out to stop himself from exploding.

"Well, I'm sorry I forgot you can't remember." Ryoma laughed dryly.

"What is the meaning of that?"

Ryoma looked at his friend directly. "You knew about his sexuality. He came out to you first."

Daisuke's eyes widened. "He came out to me before?"

"He did, after breaking up with a girlfriend. He said he realized he's gay but was scared to come out. He told you first since he looked up to you like an older brother. We only knew some time after that but we all vowed to keep it a secret."

Daisuke clutched his forehead as if experiencing a sudden headache.

"You promised to protect him from this kind of situation. I can't blame you for not remembering but I can't forgive you for not protecting him like a friend should do!" With that Ryoma stormed out of the room, leaving Daisuke even more confused than ever.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> I know I'm already stretching literary license too far by using real people's names here but I just love the Tenimyu guys that I couldn't help but include them in the story ;) I hope I won't go to prison because of this.
> 
> Disclaimer:
> 
> Every characterization included in this story is only a product of my perverted imagination.

_________________________________________________________

Grrr... grrr...

"Aren't you going to answer that?" Ryousuke paused from forking his share of cheesecake, staring at the blinking screen of Mao's iphone on top of the table.

His younger brother's phone has been ringing nonstop since yesterday but Kyousuke answered not even a single one. Strangely though, he didn't turn off his phone completely as if he were waiting for one special call.

The veins on Ryousuke's forehead felt like bursting because of the situation. Sure, he can't blame Watanabe for what happened in the hospital but he still can't help getting pissed at the clueless man.

His brother just glanced at the caller ID before silencing it. He returned to gorging a huge slice of his favorite cake, completely ignoring their parents' worried looks.

"Kyouchan, is it one of your friends again?" Their mother inquired with a gentle voice.

Mao just nodded.

"Are you still uncomfortable answering them? I think they're worried about you too."

The young man's chewing slowed down but he kept his eyes trained on the cake.

"Ryoma called me yesterday, asking about you." Ryousuke piped in. "I told him you're pigging out on sweets again."

"Your former manager also called yesterday. He said he'd look into pressing charges against the photographer that took your picture. You're not a public figure anymore so we can definitely file a complaint." Their father added, sitting beside Mao in their small dining table.

"I don't want to make this situation even bigger." Mao voiced out. "It's probably better now that everything's in the open."

"If you say so then why are you avoiding all those calls from your friends?" Ryousuke pointed out.

Mao sighed deeply. "I don't know what to tell them."

"Well, why don't you start by listening to what they want to tell you?" Their mother suggested. "You have nice friends who I know support you all the way."

Mao bit his lip. He knows what he's doing now is kind of selfish. His friends are surely worried about him but he's still afraid of hearing some disappointments. Only a few people in the industry know about his secret so he's in a predicament about how the rest would react now that the news finally came out. But his mother is right, he should have faith in his friends.

"I think I'll send them an email later."

His mother smiled after seeing Mao's face brighten a bit.

"You can start with Ryoma. I don't wanna have to answer his maddening questions again." Ryousuke sighed.

Mao giggled softly, "I understand Aniki. I'll call him now for your sanity."

Ryousuke tapped his brother on the back. "And since you will surely stay on the phone for a long time, I think I'll finish up your cake for you." With that, he took Mao's plate and bolted towards his room, his brother's scream of protest following a short while later.

\-------------------------------------------

"Daichan, here!" Daisuke spun around to see a group of men already seated around a table not far from the swimming pool. He waved back and walked towards them.

The place is already packed since the actual time the party kicked off is already an hour ago. Daisuke wasn't sure about attending seeing as he can't remember most of the people who would be attending but when he heard that Mao is expected to be here, he decided this is a great chance to finally talk to him.

He recognized Ouji who called him over and Keichan who was sitting beside him. The rest of the faces are foreign to him though.

"Did you have a hard time finding the place?" Keichan asked as he finally reached the table. He took the empty seat beside him.

"Not really. I saw a lot of parked cars outside so I knew this is the correct place."

"Well Daichan, are you ready for an introduction again?" Ouji asked with a teasing look on his face.

"Huh?"

"These people are all your friends." Ouji gestured towards the men around the table. They are all staring at Daisuke like he's a mouse under examination. Self-consciously, he hugged himself and backed away a bit.

One of them laughed aloud. "Your scared expression is so precious!"

The others also snickered and chuckled. "I'm Yasuka Saito." The one who teased him introduced himself. Daisuke bowed at him smiling. He seems like a gangster with the way he is dressed but his smile is rather gentle and girly.

The rest introduced themselves one after the other. Their unique personalities etching together with their names on Daisuke's mind.

He tried to remember them from his supposed past but try as he might, their faces and names just sound new to him. The comfortable vibes they send off though were enough for him to feel assured.

His thoughts were shaken when he heard Yasuka whistle while staring towards the bar near the sliding doors connecting the swimming pool area to the mansion. He followed his trail of sight and saw the person he was looking forward to talk to.

Mao was completely oblivious though as he chatted up with a tall guy with an obviously fake blonde hair. They were too close and the blonde kept on touching Mao's arm. Daisuke felt himself frowning at the sight.

"Who's that?" Ouji inquired, clearly not amused.

"A friend of Director Matsunaga's. Heard he's a model from Italy." Takigawa Eiji answered.

"How can our MaoMao be close to him like that? He looks like a perv!" Yasuka exclaimed.

"Well, everyone looks like a perv when they're beside Mao." Eiji pointed out.

"Daichan, you should keep an eye on him. I don't like the way that Italian is looking at him." Kanesaki Kentaro turned towards Daisuke.

The latter gulped inaudibly. "W-why me?"

"Well, because you're closest to him. If we interfere, Mao would think we're treating him like a baby again." Kentaro explained.

Daisuke glanced at Mao again. The latter was smiling awkwardly and the way his eyes were slanting indicates that he's uncomfortable. When the blonde touches his arm, his eyes narrows even more, if that was even possible. Daisuke is confused as to why he even talks to the guy.

\-------------------------------------------

Mao is trying his best to stretch his patience some more but with the way this blonde in front of him is touching him, he feels like snapping right at the moment. He reined in his irritation though, in favor of Director Matsunaga who has directed one of his movies before. The said director, who introduced the blonde, is unfortunately nowhere to be found.

He seriously wanted to leave the party immediately but Kanechan told him that Daichan would be coming later. Part of him isn't ready yet to see the guy even though almost a week has already passed since the incident in the hospital but he's stupidly in love enough that he considers just seeing his face for a little while.

"This place is getting crowded. Don't you think we should go to some other place?"

Mao's eyes grew twice its size at the innuendo.

"I know a place cozier than this..." the half-Italian half-Japanese guy breathed out near his left ear.

The hair on Mao's skin stood up indignantly. He backed out and raised his hands. "No, no! I think you're misunderstanding things. I'm NOT interested."

"C'mon now," The blonde's eyes sharpened. "I heard from my friends that you're gay. You don't have to act like a demure virgin."

"Being gay doesn't mean I jump all men I meet." Mao gritted his teeth. "I have taste." With that, he threw a deadly look at the guy and walked away, not wanting to create a commotion.

Mao went straight to the bathroom to splash some water on his face. He stared at his own reflection on the mirror. However hard he may try to act strong there are times that he just wants to curl up and forget about the world.

"Daichan, would you despise me more if you knew how weak I really am?" He whispered.

He rested his back on the wall, allowing his breathing to return to its normal state before going back to the party.

Mao couldn't evade passing by the bar area when he returned to the party but he willed himself not to even glance at it. The blonde from earlier was thinking otherwise though. He approached Mao with an apologetic look on his face.

"I'm sorry about earlier. I really regret telling you those things. I didn't want to make you angry nor hurt your feelings." He stated solemnly. "Please accept my apology." He offered a glass of wine to the young man.

Mao, out of politeness, nodded and accepted the drink.

"I have to tell you this though. I can only accept friendship from you, nothing more."

The blonde smiled brightly. "That is enough for me. Thank you."

Mao smiled and brought the glass of wine to his lips, the aroma inviting him to savor it. He drank generously and smiled at its delicious taste.

"This tastes good. How did you know I like wine?"

"Oh, you do? I like wine too and thought it would be a good compensation."

Mao smiled wider, "I've been into wine for some time now. It's good to know someone shares the same passion." He drank some more, not noticing the feral look that the blonde guy is giving him.

After just a few seconds, he felt ill and light-headed. He grabbed onto the blonde's arm. "I-I feel dizzy. W-what did you put in the w-wine?"

"Just a little something to make you obedient." The man whispered dangerously. "You will seriously regret embarrassing me a while ago."

Mao tried to draw back but his dizziness is overpowering his will. He felt himself falling into the arms of the Italian man before completely losing consciousness.

\-------------------------------------------

Daisuke and his group were chatting animatedly, catching up on the old times when the former saw in the corner of his eyes as Mao fell unconscious in the arms of the blonde model. He abruptly stood, causing his chair to fall down. His friends turned at what caught his attention and they were alarmed at the sight. They all bolted towards the unconscious Mao.

"What happened here?" Kanechan demanded angrily.

"He drank a lot of alcohol. I think that's why he fell asleep." The blonde guy answered, hugging Mao's body possessively.

"Fell asleep?" Ouji thought it was the most ridiculous thing he's heard tonight.

"Mao holds alcohol well. He can drink a whole case and still walk upright." He added.

Daisuke couldn't hold back anymore as he watched the other guy hug Mao like he owns him. "Give him to me. I'm bringing him home." He demanded.

"No. I'll be the one to bring him home. I am responsible for his getting drunk." The blonde resisted, his eyes showing resoluteness.

Daisuke swore under his breath. "I don't trust you. I saw Mao get uncomfortable because of you a while ago."

"Hah! As if I trust you too! Who are you anyway?"

"He's Mao's escort!" Kanechan blurted out, mentally congratulating himself.

"And he knows where Mao lives so please just give him to us." Kazuki-san added.

The blonde gritted his teeth and stared at the men darkly. When Daisuke saw his grip on Mao losening, he charged forward to snatch the young man's body. The blonde model was too shocked at Daisuke's sudden action that he almost dropped Mao. Fortunately, Daisuke was able to catch him on time.

He carried him bridal style, marveling at how light his weight is.

"You can complain however you want but I'm bringing him home. Now if you'll excuse us..." he turned towards Ouji and the rest, "I'll send you guys a message later. And, thank you for welcoming me. I really regret not remembering."

The men all smiled. Kanechan even tapped him on the shoulder.

Daisuke threw the Italian man a dark glance before taking his leave, going straight towards where he parked his car.

\------------------------------------------

Daisuke carefully lowered Mao onto the double-sized bed, the white sheets matching his pale white skin perfectly. He gulped at the beautiful sight in front of him and mentally slapped himself. He searched for Mao's cellphone to contact his parents but the said device is nowhere to be found.

He remembered Kazuki-san's statement about him knowing where Mao lives and it stung him a little. If he only remembers..

Since he doesn't remember the young man's address, he just decided to bring him to his own apartment. He'll wake up soon anyway.

Daisuke stared at the sleeping man once again. He looks even cuter when he's asleep.

Mao turned in his sleep, flat on his back, giving Daisuke's eyes a better access. His eyes widened when he saw the young man's shirt riding up, exposing a hipbone and the side of his abdomen.

"Oh my god! They're right, he can turn anyone into a pervert." Daisuke slapped himself for real this time.

He pulled a comforter from his closet and draped it on Mao.

"Daichan..." he stood frozen upon hearing his name and turned to Mao painstakingly but the person in question is still sleeping soundly. His eyes grew wider as Mao whispered his name again.

"Daichan..."

"He's dreaming about me?" he couldn't believe his ears.

Mao's lips were pouting and moving slowly, as if kissing someone. Daisuke felt his throat running dry. As if being hypnotized, he moved towards the younger man, completely enthralled by his innocent and beautiful face. Gingerly, he lowered his own head and softly touched Mao's lips with his own. An unknown feeling rushed through him like a waterfall. He was jolted by the strength of the foreign feeling that he jumped back, staring at the man who's still sleeping innocently.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> In my opinion Mao has a very interesting personality. He can be really feisty as seen on his Busaiku Kingdom videos but he can also change into shy and sweet when he's with Daichan.
> 
> For further reference, I based the Mao in this story on Heat Up Eve # 11 and Busaiku kingdom. The combination is strange, isn't it?

___________________________________________________________

Daisuke was too shaken by his own actions. He stumbled backwards and fell on his ass. He couldn't shake his sight away from Mao's sleeping form though.

Finally, he shook his head to clear his thoughts but his eyes kept on turning towards the sleeping man. He willed himself to stand and grab the doorknob. Quickly, he fled from his own room, his heart beating fast. Single-mindedly, he ran towards the foyer of his apartment and put his shoes on. He made sure the door is locked before dashing out, the coldness of the air hitting him and making him tremble.

What was that feeling? He thought as he sat on one of the swings in the community park near his apartment.

It was really strange. Why in the world did he steal a kiss from a sleeping person? Most especially a gay man!

He hugged himself tighter as a wave of cold air hit him.

He's had this strange feeling since he saw the younger man smile in the hospital park. The problem is, he can't quite place this feeling. It's too vague and unstable. Sometimes the feeling appears so strongly but then disappears just as fast.

"Ugh!"

He felt like tearing his hair out.

It took him more than an hour of mindless loitering around the neighborhood and in the community park before he remembered that Mao might wake up and freak out if he wakes up in a different place.

When he entered his apartment, he could hear Mao's moans coming from his room. Quickly, he entered his room, the sight of Mao turning and tossing on the bed alarming him.

The man seems to be having a nightmare. He shook his shoulder carefully. "Hamao-kun, wake up... You're just dreaming..."

Promptly, Mao opened his eyes.

Daisuke breathed out a sigh of relief. He touched the younger man's forehead.

"How do you feel?"

Mao blinked his eyes as if he couldn't believe what he's seeing.

"Where am I?" He asked with a hoarse voice.

"In my apartment."

Mao's eyes widened. He tried to sit up but Daisuke forced him back down.

"You should take more rest."

"Your girlfriend-"

"She isn't here. She's staying in a small hotel nearby."

That seemed to calm the younger man down. Curiously, he cocked his head, "Why doesn't she stay here?"

Daisuke cleared his throat. "To tell you honestly, I'm a conservative man."

Mao laughed at this which confused the older man.

"Why are you laughing?" Daisuke pouted.

"You really think like an old man."

"Only think! I still look young, don't I?"

Mao smiled as an answer.

"Anyway, what happened to you at the party? You were pretty much wasted."

"I didn't get drunk! It was... That guy spiked my drink." Mao clutched his head as if remembering something awful.

"That asshole!" Daisuke clenched his fists. He was right after all, that Italian couldn't be trusted. "I will make sure he pays for what he did."

Mao whimpered, "Daichan no! Please don't-"

Daisuke snapped at Mao. "What? Are you defending that bastard?"

"No! I just don't want you to do anything reckless."

"Reckless? I'm trying to defend you here."

"You don't have to." Mao avoided looking at the older man's face.

"I can't believe this!" Exasperated, Daisuke rubbed his face with his palm. "Do you like that guy? Is that why you're defending him?"

Mao's eyes widened dramatically. "No, of course not!"

Daisuke laughed dryly. "Come on now, Hamao-kun. That's why you kept on flirting with him, right? So your type is like that huh? Wow, didn't think you'd fall for guys like that!" Daisuke continued on and on, not noticing the tears forming in Mao's eyes.

"Are you done insulting me?" Mao's voice was small but Daisuke felt it cutting through him.

He halted, finally seeing the watery eyes of the younger man. He felt like his heart is being cut into pieces.

"I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean it like that."

He uttered regretfully.

"I don't want you to be hurt, only that." Mao stated, downcast.

"Hamao-kun..."

"You are a known personality. If you do something reckless, it might hurt your career too. I don't want that to happen because of my stupidity."

Daisuke shut his eyes tightly. Embarrassed for the things he said, he sat broodingly on the foot of the bed.

"I think I can manage to go home now. Thank you for getting out of your way and bringing me here." Mao spoke after a moment of silence.

Alarmed, Daisuke turned to look at him.

"No, you can stay until tomorrow." He offered.

Mao shook his head. "You don't have to be too hospital Watanabe-san."

Daisuke's mouth dropped open.

It stung. Being called like that...

He wanted to protest more but the coldness in Mao's eyes stopped him. Helplessly, he could only watch as Mao got out of the bed and gathered his coat from the back of a chair. Sparing him a fleeting glance, the young man went out of the door- the deafening silence overcoming Daisuke afterwards.

Watanabe-san...

Daisuke stared at the now closed door.

It sounded so detached.

What name was it that he usually calls him?

Ahhh... Daichan...

Daisuke's eyes widened as a familiar feeling washed over him.

Quickly, as if being possessed, he scrambled towards the door and ran after the other man.

When he exited the apartment building though, the man in question is already gone.

Breathing heavily, he stared up the cloudless night sky. It was dark but several stars are scattered around, making it seem luminous and comforting.

.....It was him. It was his voice. The one that woke me up from that deep sleep.

I remember how beautiful that voice had been.....

\------------------------------------------

Something is wrong, Aiko thought as she looked around Daisuke's apartment.

The place is as immaculate as usual but there's something that's bothering her. First, there's the Gucci scarf that is folded neatly on top of the sofa. She doesn't remember seeing that in Daisuke's closet before. Second, her boyfriend didn't kiss her on the cheek when he opened the door for her a while back which he normally does. Third, that boyfriend kept on spacing out even though they are now eating the lunch she brought over.

"Daichan, that scarf looks nice." She smiled sweetly, gesturing towards the folded scarf on the sofa. "I've always thought about bringing one of your hoodies with me so I won't miss you so much at night but I think now, a scarf might be nicer."

"Oh! But that's not mine..." Daisuke's voice wavered.

"Not yours? Whose is it then?"

"Hamao-kun's... He left it last night."

Aiko gritted her teeth secretly. "Why was Hamao-kun here last night?"

"H-he got drunk so I brought him home with me." Daisuke continued eating, feigning nonchalance but Aiko felt that he's not telling her the exact story.

She tried to hide her outrage though and continued smiling.

"That's so kind of you. He's so lucky to have you as a friend."

When Daisuke smiled back, she couldn't help noticing the sadness that is reflected on his eyes. She calmed herself down. With the engagement party coming soon, now is not the right time to call him out for it, she thought.

"Daichan, could you get us coffee from that cafe." Aiko motioned towards a small shop near the area where they parked their car. "I feel really thirsty now, I might die." She half-joked.

They just came from checking the venue for their engagement party which is bound to happen three days from now.

"Of course. You go first to the car since it's getting colder out here." Daisuke suggested.

Aiko smiled and nodded. When Daisuke entered the coffee shop, she started walking towards their parked car. She stopped on her tracks though after seeing a familiar silhouette get out of a black Lincoln Navigator.

That person also halted upon seeing her but he avoided her eyes immediately and started walking the other way.

Aiko felt the anger piled up inside of her explode. She marched towards that person, blocking his way entirely.

"I heard you went to Daichan's apartment last night Hamao Kyousuke." Her voice is full of rage.

Mao stared back at her cooly. "Wrong. HE brought me to his apartment."

"Don't fuck with me homo! You were seducing him, weren't you?! That's why you pretended to be drunk."

"Wow! Your imagination is astounding." Mao smiled bitterly. "But aren't you the suspicious one here? If I remember correctly, I saw you with Takeru-san before. Aren't you the one who's seducing men?"

Aiko's face turned red.

"You're lucky I haven't told your boyfriend about it." Mao continued. "Because I'm not like you Aiko-san. I don't go around exposing and destroying other people's lives." With that, he turned on his heels to leave.

Enraged, Aiko tried to seize him by the arm but she miscalculated. Unable to hold onto Mao, she fell forward, straight to the asphalt. Surprised, Mao stood unmoving in front of her.

This is what Daisuke came upon when he exited the coffee shop. Dropping Aiko's coffee, he came bolting towards them.

"What's wrong with you!" Unable to control himself, he pushed Mao away from Aiko, so strongly that the younger man stumbled backwards.

Daisuke was paralyzed with shock at his own action. He stared at Mao who stood, staggering. Mao's bangs loosely covered his eyes as he stood with his head hung lowly.

"I-I'm..." Daisuke couldn't find the right words to say.

Mao silently turned his back on him and started walking away.

Daichan caught his arm to stop him but Mao shook his hand off.

"Don't touch me." His voice is so emotionless it scared Daisuke.

"I'm sorry! It was because you-"

"You're not him." Mao's voice broke. "Daichan would never hurt me."

Daisuke felt his own eyes watering at Mao's statement.

He didn't try again to stop the younger man from walking away.

On the other side, Aiko's heart was filled with dread as she watched Daisuke's tears cascade down his cheeks like a waterfall.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> Who in their sane minds wouldn't grab any chance to kiss Daichan's perfect lips

___________________________________________________________

Aiko grew more aggressive as she brought her hands up to cup Daisuke's face to kiss him deeper. She started nipping at his lower lip but Daisuke suddenly pushed her carefully yet with certainty.

"Dai..."

"I can't. I'm sorry." He rubbed his face with his palms. "I'm just not in the mood today. Please don't be mad."

Aiko sighed deeply. "I understand. Just, call me later, will you?"

Daisuke nodded affirmatively.

Aiko kissed him on the cheek before turning towards the front door.

Daisuke plopped down on the sofa when Aiko finally closed the door. His eyes caught sight of Mao's scarf. He reached for it and felt its smooth material. He needs to return it, he thought. But how?

Will he even see him again?

He remembered seeing Mao smile for the first time. He also remembered kissing his soft lips last night. It felt so different from Aiko's kisses. His lips were so inviting that when he went out to clear his head, he considered returning to steal another kiss.

Daisuke felt like being gutted at the realization.

"This can't happen! I can't possibly fall in love with another man!" He cried out as he buried his face Mao's scarf, the younger man's scent drowning his senses away.

\-------------------------------------------

"He pushed you like that?!" Mrs. Watanabe couldn't believe her ears. She took Aiko's hands which are covered with silk gloves. Her future daughter-in-law has bruises and scratches in her palms so she had to wear gloves to hide them. She led her to sit on one of the cushioned seats surrounding the long table that will be used later for Daisuke and Aiko's engagement party.

The staff of the function hall they are renting are all busy fixing the venue so Mrs. Watanabe and Aiko opted to steer away from them.

"I never liked that Hamao Kyousuke since he starred with my son in a movie." Mrs. Watanabe continued. "I really don't understand until now why Daichan accepted that gay role. It's so shameful! But I supported him because he said it was for his career. Now, I regret allowing it. He shouldn't have met that despicable boy!"

Aiko nodded strongly. "But Daichan defended me so I'm okay now Mama."

"Awww, my son really loves you Aiko. Speaking of that guy, where did he go? He's supposed to be here early."

"He went outside to check the parking lot reservation Mama. He'll be returning soon." Aiko smiled brightly. Today is her most awaited moment. Once they are formally engaged, they can already start fixing the details of their wedding. She and Daichan can now start building their lives together.

\---------------------------------------------

Daisuke is about to return inside the function hall when he felt his phone vibrate inside his pants pocket. Wondering, he fished his phone out to check who could be calling him.

His eyebrows knitted upon seeing Baba Ryoma's caller ID. Hesitantly, he tapped accept and brought the device to his right ear.

"Moshi moshi..."

"Daichan, do you know what day it is today?" Ryoma's voice is unexpectedly morose.

"Huh? Ah... you mean my engagement day?"

There was a momentary silence on the other side.

"Did you know that Mao is leaving today?"

Daisuke's knitted eyebrows wrinkled more. "Leaving? To where?"

"He's going back to New York. Today is his flight."

The older man felt like being punched in the stomach. "W-what? Why?"

"Yes, Daichan, why? That's also my question. What did you do that made him decide to leave?"

Daisuke bit his lip, guilty as charged.

"What will you do now?" Ryoma continued.

"I honestly don't know Baba-kun." Daisuke leaned his head on the nearest wall. "I'm also confused here."

"Well, you still have time to come here. Mao's boarding time is two hours from now. At least fix this unnecessary mess between the two of you." With that, Ryoma hung up on the confused man.

Daisuke sighed heavily. He pocketed his phone and with slumped shoulders, entered the function hall once more.

\--------------------------------------------

Aiko fondled with the silver ring in her hand. In a few minutes, Daisuke will slide the ring in her finger as the highlight of the engagement ceremony.

She couldn't help but smile happily at the thought. Beaming to herself, she turned the ring in her hand. Her eyes caught sight of an unusual engraving on the inner part of the ring. Curiously, she raised the ring towards the sunlight coming from the large glass windows to properly check the engraving.

Her eyes almost popped off her head when the sunlight illuminated the engraved letters clearly and intensely.

Instantly, as if being burned, she clutched her hand to her chest, the silver band dropping silently on the heavily carpeted floor.

\-------------------------------------------

Upon entering the function hall, Daisuke saw with his own eyes as the ring fell from Aiko's fingers. He stared at the ring that fell on the carpeted floor and then at his fiancee who is as pale as a person seeing a ghost.

Wondering, he approached her quickly, his face frowning when Aiko's eyes grew even bigger at the sight of him coming.

He kneeled down to retrieve the ring, more because of care for his grandmother's legacy than his own curiosity.

"N-no! Don't!" Aiko screamed, confusing him all the more.

Nevertheless, he picked the silver band and raised it up for Aiko to receive. The latter hesitantly moved forward to take it back, her movement causing the sunlight behind her to penetrate through. It radiated on the ring, illuminating its interior part fully.

Daisuke's eyes widened at the sight. His mouth dropped open and his hand trembled.

The initials D.W & H.K flaunted itself ostentatiously in front of his very own eyes.

Aiko fell rooted to her spot. Seeing what she has been dreading for some time now, she couldn't stop herself from whimpering.

Daisuke's eyes stopped blinking and his irises turned blank as if staring at nothingness. His breathing became ragged as scenes from the past flashed by his memory like a fast motion picture.

He saw himself outside a shop, holding his grandmother's ring towards the sky with a giddy smile on his face. He then saw himself answering that call from Hamao, getting heartbroken upon hearing the news, going back to the club latter and drinking his sorrows away. He watched himself get in a car, seeing a blinding light and then darkness. The flashbacks seemed to end until he saw himself again, staring unblinkingly at a beautiful Hamao Kyousuke smiling unconsciously. Finally, he watched ghastly as he pushed the same man forcefully, the latter stumbling backwards because of the impact.

Overwhelmed and disconcerted, Daisuke tried to stand. He felt the room dancing around him, making him nauseous and smothering him.

He felt as Aiko gripped his arm, her alarmed voice ringing through. He pushed her away, not minding even though she is already crying. The other people in the function hall stopped from doing their respective tasks, staring at the couple curiously.

Daisuke's parents saw the commotion finally. They rushed toward their flustered son and their crying future daughter-in-law.

"Daichan! What's this?! What's happening with you? Why is Aiko crying?" Mrs. Watanabe demanded.

Daisuke didn't seem to notice her. He grabbed onto a chair to support his wobbly legs and continued staggering toward the exit like a drunken man. His father tried to catch up to him but upon seeing the look on his face, the older man was stopped dead on his tracks.

Mrs. Watanabe tried to follow him too but she was halted by her own husband.

"Why did you stop me?! He can't leave this engagement party."

Mr. Watanabe shook his head, "You can't stop him. He's determined to leave. I saw in his eyes, the son I lost to that accident."

His wife felt like having a heart attack. "H-he can remember now?" The question fell from her lips like a statement. She glanced back at Aiko.

The younger woman seemed to regain her bearings. She ran past them, intent on following Daisuke by herself.

The air blew lightly when he got out of the hall yet Daisuke felt a prickling sensation on his skin. He stared up the sky but immediately hung his head as it seemed like falling on him.

Inhaling deeply, he reeled towards the other side of the road. The sound of a beeping horn jarred his thoughts and he turned his head sharply sideways only to see an oncoming car. Startled, he felt himself unable to move even as the car careened towards him. Like a deja vu, the memories of his car accident flooded his thoughts once more.

"Daichan!" He heard a woman's voice shout before he felt being hit and rolling over on the pavement.

For some time, the world seemed to revolve around him as people gathered around him. More memories flashed through his eyes but they weren't as prominent as Baba's voice ringing in his ears.

"He's going back to New York. Today is his flight."

He saw Aiko's crying face as she kneeled beside him as well as the worried face of an older man whom he presumed to be the driver of the car that hit him. He also felt hot liquid streaming from the side of his forehead. Aiko's lips were moving as if saying something but he couldn't comprehend what it was.

He ignored the stabbing pain pervading his whole body and dragged himself up. Aiko tried to support him but he pried her hands away, not minding her pleas. He saw a taxi that was parked nearby and hauled himself towards it. The driver, who was one of the onlookers, rushed to the taxi after seeing Daisuke enter it.

"Airport please..." Daisuke breathed out.

The taxi driver who seemed to recognize the actor was baffled, "Watanabe-san, shouldn't we go to the hospital?"

He rested his throbbing head on the headrest of his seat, "No. Airport first. I need to see... someone. And please drive as fast as possible."

The driver gulped but seeing as Daisuke is a passenger whose wishes he should cater to, he started the engine and bolted it past the perplexed bystanders.

\----------------------------------------------

"Call us as often as you can, okay?" Takki tapped Mao on the back lightly.

"And study hard! If you graduate with honors, I'll attend your graduation day." Ryousuke declared.

"Aniki..." Mao sighed. "I hope you won't expect too much. I'm not as smart as you are."

"Kyouchan, don't belittle yourself." His mother brushed the wrinkled part of his scarf carefully. "You're talented enough to attain your dreams."

Mao smiled at his mother sweetly. He glanced at Ryoma who has kept looking around since they arrived in the Airport.

"Waiting for someone?" He inquired.

"H-huh? No, why would I? Everybody's here." Ryoma stated matter-of-factly.

"You look like a salted leech." Mao crossed his arms and bored his eyes into Ryoma's.

Ryoma laughed it off nervously. He hid his disappointment at Daisuke's absence, not wanting to sadden Mao anymore.

"Daichan already made his choice," he thought sadly. "This is the last straw. I can't force it anymore."

An announcement rang out asking for the passengers of the New York-bound flight to start checking in.

Mao breathed in deeply. "Well, this is it."

He hugged his parents and friends one after the other. Ryoma was the last one.

"Please try to be happy Mao. If forgetting is the only way, I will not argue against it." Ryoma hugged his friend tightly.

Mao blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall from his eyes. His eyes caught sight of a commotion nearby. Many people, even those hurrying, seemed to be staring at something.

Mao's eyes grew larger when the object of the commotion materialized vividly.

Ryoma sensed his agitation and let go of him. He followed the trail of his sight and was astonished to see Daisuke staggering towards them.

Mao gasped when he noticed the blood flowing from the older man's forehead. Part of his clothes were also torn and his walking is obviously off-kilter. Not minding the people around, he ran at once towards Daisuke. The older man fell into his arms instantaneously, gripping his arm tightly and breathing jaggedly.

"Daichan! What happened?"

"D-don't g-go..." Daisuke moaned, "Don't l-leave m-me again..."

"Daichan?" Mao couldn't believe what he's hearing. Feeling his knees weakening, he lowered both of them on the tiled floor. Daisuke was mouthing more words but Mao couldn't hear them anymore. Takki and the rest rushed towards them.

"Daichan! Please hold on. We'll bring you to the hospital." Yuuta signalled to the others to carry their wounded friend.

Takki was about to take the older man into his arms but Daisuke recoiled, burying his head deeper into Mao's chest.

"Daichan, you know I can't carry you by myself, right?" Mao whispered softly. "Please let the others help." He pleaded.

Daisuke slowly loosened his grip on Mao's arms but it's still evident that he won't let go of him.

"I'll hold his hand while you carry him." Mao looked Takki in the eyes.

"Kyouchan! Your flight-" Ryousuke chimed in.

"I won't go!" Mao shouted. "I can't leave him like this. Please," he sighed deeply, "take my luggage back with you. I'll call home later."

With finality, Mao nodded towards Takki.

The latter carried Daisuke carefully while Mao held his right hand. Together with the rest of their friends, they ran towards the exit, the aiport security and emergency officers meeting them halfway. They ushered the young men towards a waiting ambulance. Mao was allowed to ride with Daisuke as the latter still won't let go of his hand. The rest rode on their own cars, following the ambulance to the small hospital near the airport.

\-----------------------------------------------

Mao felt sick as he waited with the others in front of the emergency room. He's here in a hospital again, and deplorably for the same reason.

Daisuke has lost consciousness on the way to the hospital so Mao is very worried. Before losing consciousness, the older man kept mouthing soundless words while clutching Mao's hand. It confuses the younger man greatly as to why Daisuke is wounded and bleeding and why he came to the airport in the first place.

The sound of the door opening jolted him back to the present situation. A doctor came out, his facial expression unreadable.

"The patient is stable. He has wounds and bruises on his body which might have resulted from a strong collision. Nevertheless; he doesn't have other serious injuries. Right now, he is still unconscious since we put him under painkillers."

The group of men breathed out a sigh of relief.

"I wish to talk to any of his relatives for further information. Please have them look for me when they arrive."

As if on cue, Daisuke's parents came bolting towards them. Aiko was with them, her eyes fuming upon seeing Mao.

"I'm the patient's mother!" Mrs. Watanabe announced, "What happened to my son?" When she saw Mao, her face turned darker. "What are you doing here? Is hurting my son's fiancee not enough so you also did it to my son?" She bellowed.

"Excuse me, madam, I don't mean to be rude but," Ryoma interfered. "It was your son who came looking for Mao a while ago."

Mrs. Watanabe was unconvinced. "Oh really? And what did you do again? Why is my son here?" She directed her piercing eyes on Mao.

Mao bit his lip to stop himself from sobbing out. "I would never do anything to Daichan. I love your son more than anything in this world."

Mao's confession angered the old woman more. She sharply turned towards the doctor. "I am the patient's mother and I want my son away from these people. Please make sure not to let any of them near him."

Everyone fell shocked at Mrs. Watanabe's declaration.

"Is that even legal?" Yuuta exclaimed.

The doctor couldn't do anything but nod. "The patient's immediate family will decide for his betterment until he wakes up. You won't be able to do anything but follow their wishes."

Daisuke's father was also dumbfounded.

"You can't do this dear. Just think of how Daichan will react when he finds out." He tried to talk her into changing her decision but her decision is already final.

"Our son's health is the most important for me right now and I will go through any lengths to assure his safety." She turned towards the doctor, "Let's talk about my son's condition somewhere private, shall we?"

The doctor nodded and ushered Daisuke's parents to an office nearby.

"You heard Daichan's mother. I'm sure you don't need to be told twice." Aiko voiced out after a moment of silence.

Ryoma couldn't believe his ears. He stepped forward, towering over the petite woman.

"As far as I know, technically, we aren't near Daichan at this moment. You don't have any right to order us around."

Aiko's features hardened at Ryoma's statement.

"And if I may ask, why did Daichan even go to the Airport on the day of your engagement? Did he finally realize your charade?"

"Bastard!" Aiko growled.

"Baba-chan, this is enough. All this fighting won't do us any good." Mao pulled at his arm, pleading. "Let's just go for now.."

Ryoma inhaled deeply then turned back at Aiko, "This doesn't mean we concede."

Mao turned away first. Upon seeing him departing without saying anything, Aiko got angrier.

"What are you so confident about Hamao Kyousuke?!"

Mao stopped on his tracks but didn't face her.

"You are a despicable person! You're selfish and insensitive. Whatever did he see in you that's even worth wasting his life on?"

Mao looked back at her unfeelingly. "You don't know a single thing about me Aiko-san. Don't pretend you know who I am."

"Hah! I know people like you very well. All you ever do is endanger Daichan's life. Don't you know?! The reason he got so drunk and almost got himself killed months ago is you!"

Mao's eyes widened at what he heard. "What do you mean?"

Ryoma and the rest were also confused."That night, you called him, didn't you? After that call, he got so drunk he couldn't see straight but all he ever talked about was you! You who weren't there when he was on the verge of death! I was the one who took him out of that damned car. I was the one who took care of him." Aiko sobbed as tears fell on her cheeks. "And now, even after being hit by a car, he only thought about chasing after you! Who are you to hurt him again and again?!"

Mao felt like being punched on the stomach at Aiko's statement.

"You don't deserve to be beside him. You'll only hurt and destroy him."

Hearing this all of a sudden, tears threatened to fall from Mao's eyes but he addressed her levelly. "Daichan will decide who he should be with. Not me and definitely not you." With finality, he turned his back on her.

He held on to Ryoma's shoulder as they took their leave. The pain in his heart growing tenfold at the thought that he can't keep his promise to Daisuke that he'd hold his hand until he regains consciousness.

\---------------------------------------------

When Daichan opened his eyes, it was his mother's worried face that he saw first. Cocking his head sideways, he saw his father's relieved expression followed by Aiko's crying face.

He tried to sit up but his mother pleaded for him to remain laying.

"Mao..." he moaned. "Where is he? Please call him. I need to see M-mao..."

Mrs. Watanabe's eyes widened at hearing his son's plea. "Daichan, what are you saying?"

"Did he leave? Did he return to the Airport? He promised..." Daisuke sobbed painfully as he thought about the possibility that Mao continued with his flight. His breathing became ragged which worried the people around him.

"Daichan please calm down..." Mrs. Watanabe pleaded.

"How are you still looking for someone who decided to leave you?" Aiko shouted, crying. "He wanted to leave you and go back to New York! Why are you such an idiot? We are here. Your family is here. Why don't you see us? Why don't you see me?" Aiko's voice faded on the last word.

Daisuke stared at her sadly. "You know my answer already, don't you Aiko? I love him. I love only him."

Aiko collapsed on the floor, sobbing.

"Even when I lost my memories, I saw only him, thought only about him. Does that hurt Aiko? Does that break your heart?" Daisuke's voice broke. "But nothing is more heartbreaking than what I feel now, knowing I've hurt the one person I love."

Mrs. Watanabe covered her mouth with her hand, stunned at what Daisuke is revealing. Behind them, Mr. Watanabe just hung his head lowly.

"I want to understand your situation Aiko because I know the feeling of loving someone on the sidelines. But, I just can't forgive you. Not for pretending- but for letting me hurt him knowing that I actually have feelings for him."

"Daichan... I'm so sorry..." Aiko continuously sobbed.

"Please don't expect any forgiveness from me right now Aiko. I'm not a generous man. Maybe... maybe in the future."

Aiko stood limply with the help of Daisuke's father. She grabbed her bag before glancing sadly at Daisuke one last time. When the man didn't even look at her, she bid her goodbye to his parents. Hesitantly, she opened the door and got out, remembering Takeru's words for her before.

When he starts remembering you'll get even more hurt. Are you not worried about him hating you for pretending to be his fiancee?

Weakly, she felt herself sliding down against the door as the sobs she couldn't control anymore ripped out of her mouth, echoing until the end of the corridor.

A/N

Upnext: Fluff, more fluff and rabu-rabu moments :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> As you guys know, this is my first story and so this is also my first time writing a sexy scene. It was hard writing down what I really pictured in my head but I tried my best to objectify it.
> 
> Disclaimer: I still don't own Daichan and Mao :(

______________________________________________________________  
Ringgggggggg!!!!!!!

The jarring sound of the doorbell snapped Mao out of his thoughts. He's alone in the house since his parents have already gone to their family-owned restaurant and his older brother also went out to go somewhere. Curious as to who the visitor could be, he quickly went to open the door.

"Daichan..."

Mao couldn't believe his eyes. Here, in front of his doorstep is the person who has been invading his thoughts every passing moment. The object of his yearning though, is currently staring at him with a blank expression.

"H-how... You were supposed to be in the hospital until tomorrow."

Daisuke's expression turned dark at Mao's statement. He ignored the younger man though and invited himself inside the house.

"Daichan..." Mao is getting confused at his actions but he is afraid of inquiring so he just followed him inside.

Daisuke wordlessly looked around as if expecting to see other people. After a few seconds, he breathed deeply...

"Aren't you going to ask why I know where your house is?" His voice is calculated but Mao could sense a hint of anger which confused him all the more.

"I-I..." Mao tried to say something but his voice is betraying him.

"You didn't visit me in the hospital so I decided I'd do a simple thing you couldn't." Daisuke's back is still turned toward him so he couldn't make out his countenance. The blaming in his voice though is ringing intensely.

"I wanted to!" Mao defended. "I wanted to stay until you wake up... but your mother demanded me to stay away from you." Trembling, he brought his fist to his mouth to stop himself from sobbing. "What am I supposed to do?"

There was a momentary silence where only their heavy breathing could be heard.

Finally, Daisuke inhaled deeply, "I'm sorry for coming here upset," the remorse in his voice ringing vividly. "It's true that I am a bit upset at you for not being there when I woke up but," he gathered his courage to face the younger man. "I'm angrier at myself because I drove you to this situation."

"Daichan-"

"I will never be able to forgive myself for hurting you Mao." He said brokenly. .

Mao's large eyes grew wider at hearing his nickname. The tears he'd been trying to rein in cascaded down his cheeks, "I-it's true! Y-you can remember now..."

Daisuke stared at him sadly. "It's already too late though, isn't it?"

With his heart throbbing faster at the realization, Mao shook his head forcefully. "You'll never be too late Daichan..." He watched with unblinking eyes as Daisuke moved closer toward him. Even when the older guy brought both of his hands up slowly to touch his cheeks, he just stood there with bated breath.

"I don't deserve your tears." Daisuke wiped Mao's tears with so much gentleness it almost made the younger man want to cry more.

Closing his eyes, Mao leaned in to the touch. It feels so good like this, he thought. Like one of those dreams he had when he was younger and just starting to discover his feelings for his older and more mature friend.

"Mao..." Daisuke breathed out his name hoarsely. "I won't be able to control myself if you do that."

"Hmmm?" The younger man blinked up.

Daisuke gulped at Mao's display of coyness. He felt his face flushing and his hands trembling as he stared at the latter's soft pinkish lips. With painstaking heed, he leaned closer and whispered softly, "You can stop me if you dislike it..."

Mao's shy nod was enough of a signal for him. He didn't waste time in capturing the younger man's lips.

Fervently, Mao kissed back. His hands also found their way to Daisuke's arms. He grabbed onto him tighter as if he were going to melt if he wouldn't.

Feeling his consent, Daisuke snaked an arm around Mao's waist while the other held the back of his head, effectively locking him in place.

Their lips danced awkwardly at the start; nevertheless, they soon found their rhythm. After some time, Daisuke broke the kiss to let them both get air but immediately dived in for another.

Mao felt his knees getting weaker and his head lighter. When he felt Daisuke's tongue brush on his lower lip, his breath hitched. Before long, the older man's tongue became more demanding. Mao opened his mouth to welcome it.

Daisuke's tongue explored its new territory, curling on Mao's own tongue every now and then. The sweetness of Mao's mouth makes him starve for more.

Unfortunately, they are only human. When they gasped for air, their faces are both glowing and their lips wet and plump.

Daisuke has never seen a sight so alluring.

"Is it possible to fall more hopelessly in love with someone after one kiss?" He asked, wondering.

Mao turned redder than ever. "Daichan.." he hid his face on the crook of the other man's neck.

Daisuke smiled and held him more tightly."I love you, Mao. I've loved you eversince."

At this, Mao raised his head to look at him properly. "Eh? But-"

"I kept it a secret. I was afraid you'd despise me if you knew." Daisuke's fingers toyed at the soft hair falling loosely at the back of Mao's neck.

"But you are engaged!"

Daisuke frowned at this. "You should know this Mao, there is only one person I considered living with forever. And that person is YOU." He emphasised the last word with three feathery light kisses on Mao's lips.

"But Aiko-"

"She made it all up." Daisuke pulled at his necklace which was hidden by his jacket's collar. "I wanted a more romantic proposal but after what happened, I can't wait for a better time anymore." He dropped to his knees, snapped the necklace's lock open, slid the ring off and held the it upwards like an offering. "As cliche` as this situation looks, I still want to act like a cool boyfriend to you. Mao, will you accept me as your eternal partner and lover?"

"Eh?!" Mao's eyes turned into saucers as he stared at Daisuke. He couldn't believe what he's seeing. It's too good to be real that he almost wanted to punch himself to make sure he's not just hallucinating.

"Eh? Is that your answer?" Daisuke teased.

"Daichan..." Mao hit his arm lightly. "You know my answer already."

"Say it. I wanna hear it exactly."

"Yes, my answer is yes. I want to be with you forever."

Daisuke jumped to his knees and crushed Mao in a hug.

"I feel like a girl in this situation." Mao can't help but sigh.

Daisuke laughed with great gusto. "You can propose to me later if you want."

"You bet I will!"

"Ah, I forgot! The ring!" Daisuke took Mao's left hand in his right hand while holding the ring in his left.

"That's Aiko-san's ring!" Mao exclaimed horrified when he was finally able to examine it clearly.

"No, it is my grandmother's." Daisuke singsonged. "And now, it's yours. Here, I had it engraved with our initials." He held it pointedly towards the nearest window where the sunlight is still pouring through.

Mao could see clearly with his very own eyes the initials D.W & K.H engraved on the inside of the ring. "How did you..."

"I had it engraved before the accident. I planned to propose when you visit for the Christmas holidays but, uh well, the rest is history." Daisuke slid the ring on Mao's finger perfectly.

The younger man felt his eyes watering again at the realization. When Daisuke saw his tears, he panicked.

"Mao, what's wrong?! Is it the ring? Did you want a designer one or something with diamonds?"

"No,no,no... It's not the ring. I love it! I just don't deserve it." He sobbed. "Aiko-san was right. I was the reason you got into that horrible accident. I always endanger your life."

Daisuke pulled Mao into his arms, "Mao, the reason was my stupidity and recklessness, not you. Please don't blame yourself like this."

"I'm still at fault however way we look at it..."

"Well, it already happened and I'm safe. More importantly, we're together now. Isn't that what matters?"

Mao grabbed at Daisuke's arm, "I will make it up to you. I promise!"

Daisuke touched his cheek, "Mao, we'll make it up to each other, okay?" He leaned in for another kiss and was immediately welcomed by the other man.

"Although, right now, I can think of ways where you can make it up to me." Daisuke breathed afterwards, his eyes smoldering.

Mao felt like melting because of the look that Daisuke is giving him. He glanced at the wallclock nearby. "My parents won't be back until 6PM." He whispered, as if afraid that his parents might hear.

"Well, in that case..." without any warning,Daisuke took Mao onto his arms, bridal-style.

"Daichan!" Mao slapped his lover's chest repeatedly. "I'm not a girl!"

"You can prove that to me later baby." Daisuke winked devilishly.

_________________________________

 

"Are you sure you don't feel pain somewhere?" Mao worriedly checked up Daisuke's arms and thighs (well, the parts he could reach since the older man is fastened on the driver's seat) for any bleeding injuries.

Ten minutes earlier, immediately after Mao's back touched his bed, they heard Ryousuke shouting "Tadaima!". Mao was so surprised that he jumped out, knocking Daisuke out of the bed and onto the floor.

Ryousuke heard the loud thud and rushed into Mao's room. He was shocked upon seeing Daisuke on the floor but was more flabbergasted at the sight of his younger brother without any shirt on.

Sensing his brother getting angry, Mao immediately grabbed his shirt which has fallen on the floor and helped his boyfriend stand. "We'll be out today Aniki! I'll call mom later to inform her. Bye! See you later!" He then pulled Daisuke out of he house and towards the latter's SUV.

After a few moments, he realized that his boyfriend just got out of the hospital and yet he caused him to fall out of the bed.

"Mao, I'm completely okay." Daisuke reassured the younger man. "And stop touching me there. I still haven't shaken "it" off my system, you know."

Mao's cheeks turned red upon realizing what Daisuke was talking about.

The latter glanced at him and grinned, "You look more delectable when you blush like that."

Mao hit him hard on his arm.

"Ouch! Now, that hurts!"

"You deserve it, pervert." The younger man muttered.

Daisuke just laughed. "You are totally a sadist."

Mao stared at him, perplexed. "You remember even that?"*

"I think I remember everything now. Especially the things about you." Daisuke stated it as if they were talking about the weather. He's always like this, Mao thought. So heartwarmingly honest.

"If you don't stop staring at me like that, we're gonna crash and you will get all the blame for seducing your boyfriend while he's driving."

Mao's jaw dropped and when he regained his composure, he pinched the older man's thigh.

Daisuke yelped out loud like a high school girl.

They ended up eating lunch at a secluded restaurant near Daisuke's apartment.

"Your mom will get mad when she finds out that you checked out of the hospital early." Mao's eyes are fixed on his pasta, avoiding Daisuke's face.

The latter watched as Mao swirled his pasta around, never bringing it to his mouth. He grabbed the younger man's hand to stop it.

Mao instantly looked up.

Daisuke puckered his lips and sent an airkiss towards him.

It was cheesy and yet Mao couldn't help but laugh giddily.

"Daichan~" he whined but with a pleased tone evident in his voice.

"This is our first official date. You shouldn't be thinking about other people." Daisuke entwined their fingers, marvelling at how they fit perfectly. "Eat up. You're getting thinner as it is. I'll die if your mother finds out I let you play with your food."

Mao wanted to protest but Daisuke already brought up a spoonful of lasagna towards his mouth.

"Ahhh..." Daisuke singsonged.

Mao sighed but he gladly obliged. The older man smiled happily after.

"Delicious, right?"

Mao nodded, facing his plate once more.

"I'll buy you cheesecake if you finish that up." Daisuke added.

Mao's eyes brightened at the involvement of his favorite dessert.

"Really?" He implored.

Daisuke smiled wider, "well that," he gestured towards the pasta "and a make out session later. Okay?"

Mao thought about it deeply.

Daisuke whined like a kid, "Why do you still have to think about it?"

The younger man giggled, "Okay, proposal accepted!"

Daisuke stared at his boyfriend regretfully. The thought of having to buy cheesecake everytime he wants to make out alarming him of his dreadful future.

________________________________

"A-are you sure about staying the night here?" Daisuke breathed out heavily while he lay on his bed, unmoving.

From his position on top of Daisuke, Mao tilted his head towards his right ear, not to answer the older man's question but to nip at it seductively.

"Uungh..." Daisuke moaned as he felt Mao's tongue licking at the back of his ears. He clutched at the latter's hips, bucking up when the tongue was interchanged with teeth.

Mao nipped at Daisuke's earlobe then lapped it up with his tongue afterwards. He can hear his boyfriend keening and moaning wantonly, making him bolder with every move.

Kissing downwards, he attacked Daisuke's prominent collarbones. He'll never say it out loud but he has a thing for his boyfriend's collarbones. He just looks really sexy when he wears low-dipping shirts and v-necks.

"Can I leave marks?" He whispered, batting his eyelashes.

Daisuke gulped and nodded silently.

At his consent, Mao kissed him deeply before returning to his aim. He nipped and lightly bit on Daisuke's skin, lapping at it to soothe the pain. The older man wasn't complaining though. He felt the familiar pooling of heat on his stomach.

His eyes bolted open when he felt Mao's tongue on one of his nipples. His boyfriend sucked at it hungrily, sending another heatwave on Daisuke's body. His hips bucked uncontrollably, coming into contact with Mao's. His eyes grew rounder as he felt the other man's hardened mound. He knew, he's already hard since Mao pushed him on his bed when they came home after having lunch but the thought of his boyfriend also getting aroused at their making out excited him all the more.

Mao stopped his ministrations, realizing their situation. Breathing heavily, he stared unblinking at Daisuke.

Daisuke reached up to touch his cheeks, pulling him down to kiss him properly. They kissed each other fervently. Their tongues dancing against each other, battling for dominance. Daisuke took the opportunity to maneuver Mao under him. When he secured their positions, he tested rubbing his lower body against the younger man's, the drag causing Mao to gasp out. He grabbed on to Daisuke's shoulders tightly.

"Mao..." Daisuke breathed out. "It's too early to go all the way but I really, really want to make you come." He stated it in the sweetest way he could come up with, especially with his mind already full of lust. "Can I... just... just with pants on. I'll be gentle. Wanna make you feel good..."

Mao stared at his eyes, and Daisuke saw that his boyfriend is mirroring what he probably looks like at the moment.

"Are you sure, Mao?"

"Do you think being deprived for years will make me hesitate Daichan?" Mao seriously asked.

Daisuke laughed nervously.

"And my pants are too tight as you know." Mao solemnly continued. "I'm okay with just our underwears on."

Daisuke nodded. He started working on Mao's skinny jeans, his knuckles brushing over the younger man's arousal, making both of them gasp out loud.

He's having a hard time pulling it down though. Now, he's seriously wondering how his boyfriend gets his legs into this kind of pants.

"I'll pull it down..." Mao offered.

"Yeah.." he whispered. He turned to take off his own pants, taking half the time that Mao needed to remove his own.

When all the barriers are gone, he crawled towards the younger man who's already half-lying on the bed.

They stared at each other lovingly before Daisuke crossed the space between them. He kissed Mao sweetly at first before going deeper. As his tongue plunged on his boyfriend's mouth, he started rolling his hips in a steady pace. He felt Mao's breathing getting ragged.

"Here, hold on to my shoulders." He encouraged the younger man.

Mao did as he was told. He matched Daisuke's actions and soon they are humping each other feverishly.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Daisuke sweared, feeling his climax nearing. He poured kisses on Mao's neck and face while his hips moved faster.

Mao was moaning and keening unashamedly as well, his fingers digging on Daisuke's shoulderblades.

"Daichan... I-I'm gonna... ahhh!" with a particularly deep roll of Daisuke's hips, Mao's climax came rushing towards him like a waterfall.

Mao's orgasm face is enough to make Daisuke reach his own climax, the otherworldly feeling enveloping him completely. He rode his orgasm by slowly and lightly rolling his hips against Mao's.

Mao was a sight to behold with his face and upper body flushed, his mouth half open and his eyes still clouded with lust.

Daisuke dived in for another kiss, his arms encircling the younger man's waist.

"I love you baby... I love you so much..." he whispered reverently. "Not just because of the making out. Because of everything that you are." He cleared.

Mao giggled happily. "I know Daichan, I know. I love you too."

They stared at each other for some time, Mao's fingers mapping every part of Daisuke's face.

"You'll stay for the night, right?" It was more of a plead than a question.

Mao nodded. "What kind of boyfriend would I be I if I left suddenly?" He whispered.

Daisuke hugged him tighter. He wanted to ask Mao about staying not only for that night but for the other nights that would come but he didn't want to break the blissful atmosphere of the moment. They will have the next days to talk about their future together. Right now, they can only marvel at the fact that they are finally together.

They stayed focused on each other, touching innocently and gently what their fingers could reach until their tired bodies forced them to get some sleep, with Daisuke spooning Mao and the latter holding on to his strong arms.

A/N

*If I remember correctly, Mao stated in a radio interview that he is more of a sadist than a masochist.

Upnext: The final chapter


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> And now we come to the ending. Minna, Thank you for reading until the last part. At first, I have actually written this with a very detailed smut scene but I decided to remove that part to preserve the romantic and sweet atmosphere between the lovers.
> 
> Don't you guys worry, the fluff is still in the air as promised.

_______________________________________________________________

"How do you do it?"

Mao stopped from writing down notes on his reviewer to look at his friend and classmate Micah who has been wallowing in misery since they started studying for an upcoming test here in a small but cozy coffee shop opposite their academy in Lower East Side.

"Do what?"

"The long-distance thing." Micah pouted. "You haven't been listening."

Mao chuckled. "Didn't we come here to review for the test? You should take this seriously."

"Sometimes I forget you're Asian." Micah deadpanned.

Mao continued with his reviewing. "Studying abroad is expensive so we have to study harder. It would be a shame to go back home with terrible grades."

"As if money is a problem for you." Micah took a sip of her latte. "Your boyfriend is an actor. He must be earning tons of won."

Mao sighed patiently. "Firstly, it's yen, not won. Secondly, my boyfriend is not a benefactor. Thirdly, what are you whining about anyway?"

"Jacob didn't call me last night." Micah blurted.

"And why is that a problem?" Mao cocked his eyebrow.

"Because he always calls me but last night he didn't. He must be getting tired of me!"

"Ah, I think so too."

Micah's eyes widened. "What-"

"I was kidding," Mao chuckled. "Just because your boyfriend didn't call you once it already means he's getting tired of you. Maybe he's just busy."

"But-"

"And why are you waiting for him to call you? Why don't you call him instead?"

Micah's eyes rounded in realization. "He has always been the one to call first..." her voice faded shyly.

"Aren't relationships supposed to be dual-sided?" Mao scolded.

Micah bit her lip at this. "I'll give him a call when I get home." She decided.

"Good. Now, start reviewing your notes." Mao took a sip of his own coffee before returning to his own notes.

"Maybe this is why your relationship is so strong despite the distance." Micah stated fondly, staring at the young Japanese man. "You think maturely."

Mao smiled, remembering his older boyfriend. "I'm not as mature as he is though. Sometimes I get angry because of trivial matters too but he always tries to understand. I learn many important things about relationship because of him."

"Awww, so cute..."

Mao's cheeks turned pink at Micah's teasing. "C'mon, start studying so we can go home ealier."

"Yes professor!" Micah saluted.

As Micah started opening her book, Mao couldn't help but feel sad.

Like Micah's situation, his boyfriend didn't call him this morning too. What's worse is he hasn't called this week at all. And Mao may have advised Micah to be the first to make a call but he actually doesn't have the courage to follow his own advice.

Daisuke's probably too busy with preparations for his new TV drama, Mao thought. This is a huge break for his boyfriend so he's been taking it seriously.

The past months were not as bad as this. When they planned for their future, it was Daisuke who suggested that he go back to New York to continue his studies. He said that he would support Mao and his dreams in life.

They endured the distance and the time difference. Daisuke would stay up until late at night in Japan just to skype with him once a week and he'd call everyday before going to bed when he doesn't have a late night shooting or taping just to hear his voice and wish him a good day.

Mao, on the other hand, quit his shopping addiction to save money for plane tickets during holidays. He also recently got a part-time job in a furniture store to help him save more.

Those months passed by with minimal problems. They both knew how much they love and treasure each other.

"Mao, hey!"

Mao blinked back to the present situation when he noticed Micah's hand waving in front of his face.

"You're spacing out." Micah pointed out.

"Ah, I'm probably just tired with all these reviewing since last night."

Micah frowned. "I think we should head home now. It's getting late anyway."

Mao nodded, thinking of a hot bubble bath in his apartment.

They gathered their things together before going out of the cafe, the cool June air making them both sigh contentedly.

\--------------------------------------

"I hope he's at his house already so we can talk longer." Micah sighed dreamily as they exited the elevator on the 18th floor of their apartment building. Micah lives a few doors after Mao's place. One of the reasons they became friends is when they realized one morning that they're not only classmates in some subjects but they're also living in the same building.

"Just don't nag him immediately after hearing his voice." Mao adviced.

"What do you mean by that? I'm not a nag-" Micah was suddenly stopped when she noticed a man slumped in front of Mao's apartment. "Oh my god Mao! There's a man in front of your door!"

Mao's eyes widened at the sight. He felt as if his heart stopped beating.

The man seemed to feel their presence because he slowly opened his eyes and started stretching his long arms. He turned to them afterwards with a megawatt smile on his face.

"Hi Mao! What took you so long?"

Mao almost flew towards Daisuke, making the latter stagger a bit backwards. He wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's torso, inhaling his musky scent that he has missed too much.

"Oh god! You're real! Daichan, it's really you!"

Daisuke chuckled, wrapping his own arms around Mao tightly. "Why are you so surprised? I told you we'll spend your birthday together."

"But- but I thought you meant skyping again." Mao sniffled. He buried his face in the older man's chest. "And you didn't call me at all this week!"

"I'm sorry Mao. I had to finish all my commitments to be able to get a week off from work."

Mao raised his head to finally look him in the eyes. "You did that just so you could come here?"

Daisuke nodded, smiling softly. "Anything for my one and only."

They stared at each other lovingly, their eyes magnetizing each other.

Unable to endure anymore, Micah cleared her throat.

Remembering his friend and feeling embarrassed at the same time, Mao broke away from Daisuke's arms.

"Oh no, no, no! Don't break apart! I'm just going to excuse myself." Micah exclaimed.

"Ano... this is Daichan, the one I told you about." Mao introduced. He turned towards his boyfriend, changing into nihonggo. "This is my friend, Micah. She's also a classmate of mine."

Daisuke bowed towards the young woman. "My name's Daisuke. Yoroshiku!"

Micah smiled nervously. "I'm Micah. Nice to meet you." She then turned back to Mao. "Your boyfriend is super hot! You're so lucky!"

Mao giggled at this. "He's gonna brag about that again."

"Anyway, I'm gonna leave the two of you now. I really need to call my boyfriend after watching the two of you eye-fuck each other." With that, she waved goodbye at Daisuke before walking away , her last words making Mao's face turn all red.

"What did she say?" Daisuke asked, curious as to why Mao suddenly blushed.

"N-nothing. Just crazy words. Anyway, let's go inside. I'll show you my room! Do you remember that walk-in closet I told you before?"

As soon as Mao showed Daisuke his bedroom, the latter immediately tackled his boyfriend onto the bed, kissing him deeply and roaming his hands all over his body.

\----------------------------------

Being Japanese doesn't mean they have weird, out of this world sex all the time when they're together. The truth is Daisuke is really a gentleman and Mao may have perverted fantasies but he's still shy in bed. More importantly, they've decided to take things slowly but surely.

"How were you able to enter this building? The receptionists here are quite strict." Mao wondered as they lounged in his bath tub, with Daisuke cuddling him from behind.

The latter blew some bubbles in Mao's flawless back, smiling to himself like a young boy. "One of the tenants here is an old Japanese couple. I begged, showed our pictures together and they were moved by my great love for you." Daisuke proudly narrated.

"You could've just waited for me in the lounge area."

"I wanted to surprise you, you know. But when I came here, I realized you weren't home yet so I just decided to wait for you here." Daisuke kissed the back of his neck sweetly.

"You're stupid sometimes..." Mao feigned irritation, moving away from Daisuke's body.

Daisuke quickly wrapped his arms around Mao's torso to keep him in place, knowing him all too well. "Hey, hey, what's wrong Mao?"

Mao stayed silent but he let himself be hugged by the older man closer. He slid lower against his body, resting his head on Daisuke's chest.

"What if there was someone here who knows who you are? What if the couple you talked to recognized you and decide to tell some reporter back in Japan? That could ruin your career..."

"Sometimes I wonder why you even think about strange things when we're together." Daisuke sighed. "Maybe I need to exert more effort." He reached between Mao's legs and started fisting the hardening member there.

Mao could only gasp and lose himself to the blissful feeling while Daisuke made him all putty in his hands.

.....Daichan, do you have the slightest idea how much I care about you?

\----------------------------------------

After Mao's important test the next day, the couple decided to spend the rest of the day in a family park. Mao explained how Japanese students don't usually come here so it would be safe for them to be together.

Currently they are sitting side by side on the grassy ground, enjoying the not so sunny afternoon and the private moment they can enjoy outdoors.

"Your hair grew longer again..." Mao reached his hand out to touch Daisuke's hair, which he let loose today.

"Hmmm... I have to wear it longer for the TV show." The older man turned to look at him properly.

"I like it long. You look gorgeous." Mao whispered.

"Not as gorgeous as you though."

"Stop it. You're gonna turn this again into a battle of confessions." Mao hushed.

Daisuke chuckled to himself. "You know me too well."

Mao twirled his fingers into his boyfriend's hair strands. He was suddenly struck by an urge to kiss him senseless. He bit his lip and moved his hand away but Daisuke caught his wrist back, holding it tightly.

"You can kiss me, you know."

Mao's eyes widened. "I-I..."

Daisuke closed his eyes for him. "I'm waiting..." he breathed out.

Mao's heartbeat started to quicken. He glanced around them but everyone seems to be busy with their own activities. Gingerly, he moved his head towards Daisuke, gulping as their faces came closer. Tentatively, he touched his lips to the older man's lips, the softness inviting him to delve deeper.

Daisuke did him a favor by opening his mouth slightly, causing their lips to lock completely.

This isn't their first time to kiss but Mao feels like it is. Butterflies danced in his belly and his toes tingled. He raised his hand to touch Daisuke's cheek and draw his head closer. The older man just let him do what he pleases. This feels new to him since they are outside, with other people just a few feet away. It feels liberating and exciting at the same time.

Their kiss was broken when a thunder erupted followed by a lightning and small drops of rain. Mao fell stunned and rooted to his spot. The people around started walking away to find shelter from the coming rain, some of them passing by and looking at the Japanese couple curiously. Pale-faced and trembling, Mao stood abruptly and started running away. Daisuke ran after him worriedly. He caught him by the arm and pulled him to a stop.

Mao is breathing raggedly and he refuses to look at the older man's face.

"Mao, what's wrong? Why did you suddenly run like that?" Daisuke shook his shoulders carefully.

Mao started sobbing silently. Daisuke encircled his arm on his shoulders.

"Let's find a shed first, okay? It looks like it will rain really hard." He then led the younger man away from the park and towards a nearby chapel that caught his eye.

They stayed on the porch, with the rain pouring heavier around them.

Mao's sobs subsided a little but Daisuke is still worried. He hugged his boyfriend closer.

"What is it? Why did you suddenly run away?"

Mao sniffled. "I shouldn't have... We shouldn't have done that. What if people saw us? How could I be stupid like that?" His sobs returned, making him quiver.

Daisuke finally understood, remembering the blaring thunder and the lightning that followed it. It must have jarred Mao's thoughts.

"I'm sorry, I didn't notice how you've been worrying about this." Daisuke lamented, realizing what's eating Mao's heart out. "Wanting to protect me, you are sacrificing your desires."

Mao buried his head closer to Daisuke's chest. "I don't want you to lose what's important to you."

"Do you not know, Mao that you are what's important to me? Have I not made you feel that?"

Mao bowed his head. "I do feel that. But I also know how much you love acting. How it makes you happy and fulfilled. I can't take that away from you."

"Mao..." Daisuke held his chin and lifted it gently. "I love you." He captured his boyfriend's lips and kissed them fervently, wanting to pour out every feeling he has in his heart for this beautiful young man.

Mao's eyes are shining when they broke the kiss.

"I've dreamt countless times about marrying you in a chapel like this. I never stopped dreaming that one day, the world will accept the love that we have, that one day my parents will realize how you're the only one for me." Daisuke confessed. "And so each day, I try my best to make each of these dreams reachable. There are times that my resolve weakens and I feel hopeless but when I think about how wonderfully brave you are, I feel stronger again." Daisuke cupped Mao's face with both of his hands. "I might not be able to reach those dreams and we might need to hide our relationship forever but please promise me, Mao, that you'll never hide yourself from me. That you'll always be beside me, fighting for our love."

Mao nodded solemnly. He tilted his head to savor the kiss that Daisuke proffered, accepting the love that came with it as well as the commitment and promise to love each other forever.

\----------------------------------------

"Wow, how can you be so lucky like this?" Micah commented as she and Mao watched Daisuke move around the tiny kitchen.

"Sexy, handsome and a great cook! What more can you ask for?" She continued, smiling at the guy who sometimes glances their way. Although Micah has a feeling, his eyes look at Mao only.

Mao just smiled shyly. It's his birthday today and they decided to prepare a nice dinner for him, with Daisuke cooking and Micah helping around.

"This is my best birthday so far." He happily stated.

"He'll be leaving tomorrow, right? You should be spending all the time you've got together. You didn't have to invite me here. I would understand, really." Micah open-mindedly said.

"Micah, I want to be with my friends too on my special day. Besides," Mao blushed a little "We have the rest of the night for each other."

Micah bumped him lightly. "Who says Mao is a naive boy?"

Mao bumped her back. "I'm not as naive as everybody thinks, okay? I'm a grownup man."

Micah laughed hard at this, making Daisuke glance at them again. Mao could only smile at him with wide eyes.

The dinner turned out well and they all helped cleaning up afterwards.

As the night progressed and the couple's light touches get more lingering, Micah decided it's about time to leave. She handed Mao a small birthday package before bolting out, mentally congratulating herself for surviving the sexual tension those two emitted.

Mao excitedly opened the small package after Micah left, his eyebrows knotting at its content.

"What's this?"

It looks like a bullet, small and metal, with a switch on the side.

Daisuke reached over to peek, his eyes widening upon seeing it. He doubled over laughing when he saw Mao's confused face.

"What's funny, mister?" Mao frowned even more.

"You don't have any idea about what that could be?"

Mao shook his head.

"That's a bullet vibrator, Mao. It's used to stimulate your-"

"STOP!" Mao covered his ears, afraid to hear more than what he needs to.

Daisuke pried his hands off his ears. "You don't have to be shy Mao." He smiled teasingly. "That's completely normal especially for people whose lovers are far away."

"Normal? So that means, you have something like this, too?" He asked with wide eyes.

"No, I don't have. Looking at your picture and hearing your sexy voice is enough."

Mao's face turned all red at this.

"Then, I don't need this too." He put the bullet back into the box.

"True." Daisuke nodded "That's nothing compared to what I've got." He stated proudly.

Embarrassed, Mao choked beside him.

Daisuke leaned over and whispered, "And now, for my gift..."

They ended up doing it repeatedly until the wee hours of the morning. Mao lay, completely spent in Daisuke's arms. His back is starting to feel the after effects of their passionate lovemaking but he savored them, thinking to himself that he won't see his boyfriend for a long time again.

"You're still awake?" Daisuke asked, tracing his fingers on Mao's hipbone. "You should sleep. Your hips will surely hurt like hell tomorrow."

Mao shook his head. "I want to be awake while you're still here."

Daisuke kissed his cheek lovingly. "I'll visit again when I get another long vacation, promise."

"Me too. Or we can go on a trip together. Somewhere more secluded." Mao mused.

Daisuke smiled. "We can go to Africa or South Pole."

Mao pinched him on the waist.

"Ouch! Yo'ure getting more violent, huh." He chuckled.

"That's only because you're a loser."

"Ah, lets see who's the loser here!" Daisuke hovered over Mao and without any warning started tickling his boyfriend's weak spots, making the younger man admit his defeat easily.

\-------------------------------------

The days passed by quickly. Christmas is in the air again as people started with their year-end shopping plans.

Laying on his bed, Mao opened his skype to welcome the excited face of his boyfriend.

Daisuke visited again last October and they went on a trip to New Jersey together. With the coming Christmas holidays, Mao's academy will be closed for two weeks which means he can go back to Japan and spend more time with his family, friends and his beloved.

A year ago, his life as a student in New York was totally like hell since he didn't have any friends but now, as his English skills improved, he also started befriending many of his classmates. A year ago, he also thought that it's impossible for him to be loved back by his dream guy but that completely changed and now he's even skyping with the said dream guy.

His life here is not yet as easy and comfortable as he wants it to be but he's trying to be happier everyday. How can he not when there's someone who loves him deeply and treasures him completely?

As Daisuke raved and laughed about how Baba made a fool of himself in front of the camera again, Mao thought to himself,

.....There are times that my resolve weakens and I feel hopeless but when I think about how wonderfully brave you are, I feel stronger again.

**Author's Note:**

> I know it's been ages since I last posted a story or a fanfic but I have recently decided to revive this page since my current job now allows me to enjoy more free time. I am currently writing a long one-shot story about my favorite canon couple, Sam Tsui and Casey Breves and am planning to post it on April 1st, to celebrate their 10th year anniversary. If you have time and are interested, please don't hesitate to check it out.  
> Back to Daimao, this story was actually posted on my fanfiction.net account but due to restrictions, I was not able to import it here. Now, to jumpstart my page's revival, I decided to copy paste everything to be able to share it to the Daimao fans here at ArchiveOfOurOwn.  
> And although, I'm still heartbroken by Mao's retirement, his relationship with Daichan remains dear to my heart. Maybe in the future, once I'm able to accept Mao's decision, I will be able to write about him again.
> 
> P.S.  
> Comments and Reactions are very much welcome :)


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